Mount Prospect bans e-cigarettes for minors

The Mount Prospect village board has banned the sale of e-cigarettes and other electronic smoking devices to minors, and prohibited their possession by anyone under the age of 18.

Village trustees, however, stopped short of following Chicago's precedent and their use by anyone inside a public building or business.

“The focus of this ordinance is to give the police department tools with regard to this new device,” Village Manager Michael Janonis said. “It's going to be an evolving market.”

The code defines an electronic smoking device as one that may or may not contain nicotine, and the list includes not only e-cigarettes, but e-cigars, hookah pens and any other “inhaled nicotine delivery system.”

“Our big thing was to come up with a broad enough set of definitions,” Janonis said, adding that the regulations give the village the ability to conduct sting operations against sellers. The measure also requires that retailers keep the devices behind a counter.

Janonis said there are limits to the restrictions. The “15-foot” rule that prohibits conventional smoking within 15 feet of a public building or business entrance does not apply to electronic cigarettes, meaning bars or other establishments could allow them indoors.

Janonis said the village is holding a mandatory seminar for liquor establishments, during which information about e-cigarettes will be included.