The 15-year-old Smoke-Free Illinois Act, which makes most indoor public spaces off-limits for smoking, now governs electronic cigarettes as well after Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday signed into law a measure that was approved with bipartisan support in the spring legislative session.
“Illinoisans deserve to enjoy public spaces without being exposed unwillingly to secondhand vapor and other electronic cigarettes byproducts,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Now, e-cigarettes and vapes will qualify under existing anti-smoking laws, reducing air pollution and making a more accessible, healthy Illinois.”
The act bans smoking in public spaces including a “portion of any building or vehicle used by and open to the public.” There are limited exceptions, including an exemption for the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont during meetings of tobacco manufacturers and suppliers.
Until Friday, these restrictions did not apply to electronic nicotine products such as e-cigarettes, e-hookahs, or vape pens.
E-cigarettes have become especially popular with young people for many reasons, including the variety of flavors and the lack of stigma associated with the product. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, “most e-cigarette users do not consider themselves to be smokers.”
While “cigarette smoking has declined dramatically among Illinois high school students,” between 2016 and 2018 “e-cigarette use in Illinois increased from 18.4% to 26.7% among high school seniors,” the IDPH reports.
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