Give law enforcement tools to protect youths from vapes

We must take action to protect our youth’s health and safety from the dangers of tobacco use, and that begins by enforcing existing state bans.

Just two years ago, Illinois signed into law the Preventing Youth Vaping Act which prohibits the marketing and sales of tobacco-related products to youth. This law followed the 2020 ban on flavored e-cigarettes by the Food and Drug Administration. Despite these bans, the FDA has made minimal efforts to enforce them or hold bad actors accountable, resulting in a 2,600% surge in illegal disposable vape usage among teens since 2019.

Illegal disposable vapes are highly popular among teens due to their easy, one-time usage and colorful packaging. According to the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey released by the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 2 million high school students and nearly 400,000 middle school students are currently using e-cigarettes, with nearly 85% opting for flavored vapes. Disposables emerged as the most common e-cigarette device among high schoolers and middle schoolers.

Besides sending a handful of warning letters to bad actors, which largely go ignored, the FDA has taken almost no action in enforcing this ban. They continue to sit on the sidelines despite requests from some of Illinois’ top leaders like U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.

Before considering additional tobacco product bans, we must prioritize the enforcement of the existing flavored tobacco bans. Implementing a vapor directory is one step in protecting youth from illicit disposable flavored vapor products illegally sold in Illinois. This tool assists law enforcement in cracking down on bad actors who persist in putting children at risk by keeping these illegal products on their shelves.

Empowering law enforcement with the tools they need will keep Illinois youth safe.

Stefan Bjes

Naperville