The City of Joliet is taking unprecedented action against the use of electronic cigarettes by minors after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) designated e-cigarettes a public health risk for children and studies showed that many children who try electronic cigarettes continue to use them.
Through a series of undercover operations, Joliet police have identified 47 violations against city businesses for the illegal sale of nicotine products to customers under the age of 21. These included three violations against one business that resulted in the city revoking the business’s business license.
Out of Space Vapes at 232 S. Larkin Ave. is currently closed and unable to operate.
“My message to businesses in Joliet is: If you sell to minors, we will catch you and file charges against you,” said Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans.
The undercover operations began in September 2023 after school officials from Joliet Township High School District 204 contacted Joliet Mayor Terry D’Arcy over concerns that students could gain access to vape pens and e-cigarettes at local stores.
“We need stricter guidelines and we are incredibly grateful for this,” said Michelle Stiff, JTHS District 204 school board president.
Stiff also reached out to local lawmakers, including State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood), who expressed concern that some vape pens are being designed to look like everyday objects.
“Highlighters, erasers and pencil shapers – vapes that look like those school supplies – make it difficult to identify the object,” Cappel said.
Cappel sponsored the bill, SB 3098, which became law last week. The law prohibits the shipping of e-cigarettes ordered or purchased online or by mail to anyone in Illinois other than retailers or distributors, beginning January 1, 2025.
The aim is to prevent children from buying e-cigarettes online and having them delivered directly to their homes.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, e-cigarettes, or vapes, have been the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. teens since 2014.
Research shows that children who try e-cigarettes often continue to use them, which is why it’s important to keep e-cigarettes away from children, according to Dr. Karla Guseman, superintendent of JTHS District 204.
“Students start experimenting before they get to high school, and early access gets them hooked,” Guseman said.
To further reinforce the anti-vaping message, starting this fall, all biology students in JTHS District 204 schools will conduct an experiment in class that demonstrates how vaping damages the body at the cellular level.
“Hopefully they will learn from this. It is compulsory in biology classes so that every child sees the damage that vaping can do,” said Mayor D’Arcy.
“Hands-on is better. We can tell them all day, but if they can handle the chemicals themselves and see them with their own eyes, they might make better decisions,” says Dave Collins, a father whose son attends Joliet West.
After hearing about the city’s strategy to curb vaping among children, Collins said he was pleased to see cooperation from legislators, law enforcement, city and school officials.
“I’m all about educating our kids and making them aware of the things they need to know. And they definitely need to know the dangers of vaping,” Collins said.
