By Phil Lemen
The state of Illinois has just raised the minimum age for use of smoke and tobacco products to 21, according to Fox8 Cleveland. Governor Pritzker recently signed legislation that will take effect July 1. There are currently six other states in the U.S. who abide by this law: California, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maine and Oregon.
“We do not agree with raising the age to 21, we would go for the 19 and over, but we are actively trying to fight high schoolers and underage from getting vapes. We ID everyone that comes in here, anyone that looks under the age of 40 gets carded. Even with Illinois passing this new law, I don’t think it will be something that Nebraska will adopt,” says Melissa Dalziel, manager of Caterpillar Vapes on 109th and Q Street in Omaha.
Vape (vaporizers) and e-cigarettes have become popular within the decade, especially among the younger crowd. So the question begging many is, “Will raising the legal age to 21 help prevent the chances of an adolescent using the products?”
“I think the new Illinois law will bring down vaping in schools, I’m thinking that’s the overall goal. Nebraska will probably be one of the last states to pass 18 to 21 law because we are such a conservative state,” says Trey Talmadge, a local vape user.
