New Illinois Smoking Laws.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 4.5% of Americans over 18 use e-cigarettes. But just because they don’t emit smoke, doesn’t mean vape users can vape anytime and anywhere. “E-cigarette devices” are now protected by the Illinois Smoke-Free Act (HB1540/Public Act 103-0272),
METROPOLIS, IL— House Bill 1540 passed last March in Illinois but officially went into effect across the state on January 1, 2024. The law prohibits smoking vapes or e-cigarettes inside public places including restaurants, stores, and schools. Also when smoking outside you must be at least 15 feet from the building’s entrance.
“Vapes contain nicotine and other chemicals that are harmful to both the person who uses them and those who come into contact with them,” Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in a released statement. “Like smoking, vaping can cause Lung damage and nicotine addiction.
Violators will be fined $100 for their first violation and $250 for each subsequent violation. Owners of bars, restaurants, casinos, shops and other public places covered by the law are also liable – for them, a first offense will result in a $250 fine and a second offense will result in double the fine , and each violation within one year will be subject to a fine of $2,500.
What Non-Smokers Should Know About The New Law
Inevitably, there will still be some bars that say nothing to those who use vape indoors. When the smoking ban was introduced in 2008, some companies ignored it.
Thankfully, there is an easy way to resolve this situation without having to talk to the manager of the store or personally confront the smoker.
The Illinois Department of Health has set up a hotline and website to file complaints about violations of the Illinois Smoke-Free Act. Anyone can file a complaint by calling 866-973-4646 or visiting the department’s website.
The submission will then be sent to local law enforcement to resolve the issue. You don’t need to provide your name and contact information to file a complaint, it’s as simple as that.
Community Reacts to Lllinois Law Banning Indoor Vaping
Skylar Klanchar has been vaping since she was 18 years old. “I know the smell of cigarettes is the smell of secondhand smoke,” she said.
She thinks the new law is a bit pointless. “What you have to do is encourage them to vape anyway, and more secretly…people are told they can’t drink, they open speakeasies. They’ll find a way to vape,” said Cranchar.
Dylan Duckett owns all three locations of vape shop Cloud 9, including one in Metropolis. He said he’s not worried about the new law.
“Honestly, most of my customers have been pretty good, you know, they don’t vape in most places. A lot of them have it’s kind of like an unwritten rule, just common courtesy. So they Most of them, a lot of them, even think it’s against the rules,” he said.
Going forward, Cranchar hopes lawmakers will have access to a variety of inputs when making such decisions.
“To better understand the people who actually vape and the people who are just trying to quit vaping. Because that’s what it sounds like, and they’re listening to the people who don’t vape and the people who are vaping to help themselves,” Grams Ranchar said.
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