LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – State Rep. Mary Edly-Allen. D-Libertyville, partnered with local law enforcement and healthcare experts to host an informational town hall meeting on the dangers of vaping devices and e-cigarettes.

“As a former teacher, education and protecting the health of our youth is extremely important to me,” said Edly-Allen. “This town hall meeting on the dangers of vaping gave families and parents an opportunity to learn from the experts and understand the increase in vaping and its potential side effects.”

Edly-Allen’s town hall meeting featured expert panelists including Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim, Mundelein Chief of Police Eric Guenther, and representatives from the Respiratory Health Association and Lake County Public Health Department. Edly-Allen intends to support legislation to increase regulations on vaping devices, which have come under scrutiny lately for their ties to respiratory illnesses in young people.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Amid increasing reports of vaping-related illnesses and deaths, state Rep. Daniel Didech, D-Buffalo Grove, is doubling-down on his efforts to take on the tobacco industry and backing a ban on the sale and distribution of flavored tobacco products.

“It is absolutely devastating to see the growing cases of vaping-related illnesses and deaths across the country,” Didech said, “This bill would help us fight the tobacco industry’s shameful marketing of dangerous products to minors.”

Didech is a sponsor of House Bill 3883, the Flavored Tobacco Ban Act, which would prohibit the sale or distribution of all flavored tobacco products, including commonly used with vapes and e-cigarettes. In Addition, the legislation would allow the Department of Public Health to suspend the license of any distributor that violates the ban. While the use of vaping and e-cigarettes has seen an overall increase in recent years on the national scale, there has been a particularly sharp increase among American youth. When someone is hooked on nicotine at a young age, it becomes significantly harder to quit later on in life.

Earlier this year, Didech voted to pass House Bill 345, which prohibits the sale of tobacco products, alternative nicotine products, and electronic cigarettes to people under the age of 21. Across the nation, six additional states have followed suit, including California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Oregon, Hawaii, and Maine.

“Tobacco companies know they can prey on young people through their clever advertising tactics and attractive flavor selections,” Didech said. “By supporting this strong measure, we can protect the lives and health of all Illinoisans, especially minors, who could be drawn in by manipulative advertising and tobacco products geared towards children.”