Schaumburg waiting to see what federal, state governments may do on vaping
Despite recognizing youth vaping as a serious health issue, Schaumburg officials are not imposing any additional regulations on vaping for now, as they wait to see whether stricter rules are created at the state or federal levels.
The village's public safety committee recently declined to take action and instead revisit the issue in the near future, said village Trustee Frank Kozak, the chairman of the committee.
Committee members were hesitant to act due to pending legislation that might address youth vaping on a broader scale, Kozak said. Periodic checks of whether vaping materials are being sold to underage customers in the village will continue, however.
Kozak said there doesn't seem to be a point in making some products unavailable in Schaumburg if they can still be obtained in neighboring communities.
"We're not going to try to hurt any businesses right now," he said. "We don't want to overstep our boundaries."
But such caution should not be interpreted as a dismissal of concerns about youth vaping, Kozak said.
"In my eyes, it's an epidemic," he added. "I don't like it. But I have to go along with my constituents here."
Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg - who's facing two challengers in the March 17 Democratic primary - is a co-creator of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus to End the Youth Vaping Epidemic and has personally called for a ban on flavored e-cigarettes.
Krishnamoorthi also has backed the newly proposed PREVENT Act - Providing Resources to End the Vaping Epidemic Now for Teenagers - which would create a quarterly user fee on manufacturers and importers of e-cigarettes.
Among the possible actions municipalities could consider, but which Schaumburg has been put on hold for now, are banning the sale of all vaping products, or certain kinds or in certain areas that might be typically frequented by young people.
Police Chief Bill Wolf, who first suggested the village take action, also suggested the possibilities of banning the use of all vaping products in the village, setting minimum fine amounts and requiring license suspensions for violations, and increasing Schaumburg's number of tobacco or vaping product enforcement operations.