(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — When Illinois made it illegal to smoke in public places and within 15 feet of most entrances, electronic cigarettes were new to the U.S. market.
Sixteen years later, the Respiratory Health Association has said one in four high school students vape, and State Sen. Julie Morrison wants to add e-cigarettes to the ban under the Smoke Free Illinois Act.
“A tobacco epidemic continues in our state,” Morrison said in a press release. “We have made great progress, but the surge of use of e-cigarettes has threatened that progress and lured more people toward a deadly addiction.”
The Lake Forest Democrat’s bill passed the Senate 48-5 on Thursday and will now go before the House.
In 2019, Morrison passed a law raising the age for buying tobacco products to 21 and in 2022 she worked to place more restrictions on marketing e-cigarettes to children.
More information about the bill may be found here.
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