(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Evanston City Council this week voted to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products.
In the runup to the 6-3 vote, only one member of the public spoke against the proposal. That was Clyde McLemore, a regional director for Black Lives Matter, who said the measure will create an illegal market for loose menthol cigarettes.
“Single cigarettes will be sold on the street for $2 to $5,” he said.
But Kristina Hamilton with the American Lung Association noted that tobacco use is the No. 1 cause of preventable death among Black people.
Don Ziegler, chairman of the Evanston Health Advisory Council, said the city would become a leader in Illinois by voting in favor of the ban.
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