According to the US local media thesouthern reported on January 3, the US Illinois Bill 1540 passed in March 2023 will officially take effect in January 2024. The law places significant restrictions on the use of e-cigarettes.
The new law bans the use of e-cigarettes in any public place, including restaurants, shops and schools. The law requires people to be at least 15 feet outside the entrance of a building before vaping. The list of prohibited tobacco products also includes electronic smoking devices and flammable tobacco products such as cigarettes and cigars.
Skylar Klanchar has been vaping since she was 18. She said she does not agree with the inclusion of e-cigarette products in the provisions of the Illinois Smoke-Free Act. She predicts that doing so will only encourage people to vape more covertly, since people will always find a way to smoke.
Dylan Duckett, who owns all three locations of cloud 9, an e-cigarette shop, said he was not too worried about the new law. “Frankly, a lot of my customers have, you know, been disciplined about not vaping in most places. They have an unwritten rule about being a polite person…… A lot of people even thought it was a rule.” ‘he said.
Krancha hopes lawmakers will listen to all sides of the public when making decisions related to vaping, “and have a deeper understanding of the people who actually use vaping, not just those who want to eliminate vaping, because it’s starting to look like they’re only listening to the people who don’t use vaping, and they’re ignoring the people who use vaping to help themselves.” Mr. Kranza said.