Flavored vaping products favored by teens will be banned on shelves at Chicago stores, but flavored tobacco such as menthol cigarettes can still be sold under rules the City Council passed Wednesday.
Southwest Side Ald. Matt O’Shea, 19th, had hoped to ban the sale of all flavored nicotine products, including flavored cigarettes and cigars.
Faced with stiff opposition from retailers who said smokers simply would cross into the suburbs to buy flavored cigarettes and from some aldermen who have long complained that higher prices and stricter restrictions on tobacco sales in Chicago propel a gang-controlled underground market for such products, the council instead voted for narrower rules than O’Shea initially proposed.
But he endorsed the version that passed, saying it’s an important step to protect kids. Read the entire article here.