Illinois Lawmaker Takes Action Against Nicotine Products Disguised as School Supplies

According to local American media Patch, a local legislator in Illinois has decided to take action against the new trend of nicotine products. The legislator has proposed a new Illinois law to ban vaping devices that are disguised as everyday school supplies.

State Senator Julie Morrison proposed revisions to the "Preventing Youth Vaping Act" in January of this year. On Wednesday, the amendment has passed review by the Senate Executive Committee and will now be submitted to the full Senate for a vote.

Julie Morrison stated in a release, "The dangers and addictiveness of nicotine consumption are why I take a firm stance on this issue. We should do everything in our power to make it impossible for children to access and conceal tobacco products." The amendment proposed by the state senator would prohibit e-cigarette manufacturers and retailers from marketing their products in ways that could lead parents, legal guardians, teachers, or other adults to mistake e-cigarettes for non-tobacco products.

According to a spokesperson for Senator Julie's office, school officials have reported to the Illinois Department of Public Health and Family Services that they have found e-cigarettes designed to look like highlighters, erasers, and pencil sharpeners on school property.

Julie expressed, "We look forward to public policies that will protect children from being exposed to harmful substances such as nicotine." According to her, this measure will prevent tobacco companies from deceiving educators and guardians, thus endangering the safety of children without their knowledge.

Julie has been a leader in anti-smoking legislation for many years. In recent years, she has proposed and sponsored several bills, including one that raised the minimum age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21, and another that expanded the statewide indoor smoking ban to include e-cigarettes last year. In addition, she also introduced the "Prevent Youth Vaping Act" this year, which raised the age to purchase e-cigarettes to 21 and banned the use of cartoons, characters, phrases, or images that appeal to minors for marketing.

The FDA's Center for Tobacco Products' "Harmful and Educational Resources for Educators, Students, and Parents" provides a wealth of useful information on understanding the dangers of nicotine. In August of last year, the FDA issued warnings to over a dozen online retailers whose e-cigarette products were designed to resemble child-friendly items such as school supplies, toys, or beverages.