Arlington Heights Board May Raise Tobacco Sales Age Minimum

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — Following the path of neighboring communities, the committee-of-the-whole for Arlington Heights recommended the Village Board approve increasing the minimum age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21. The proposed new ordinance will now go before the Village Board of Trustees, potentially as early as January 2019. Omni Youth Services, along with several other groups, spearheaded the Tobacco21 initiative in the village.

In June, the village's Board of Health, along with the village police department, declared unanimous support for the Tobacco21 Initiative. The statement of support was followed by a letter from Mayor Thomas Hayes to Gov. Bruce Rauner urging him to sign statewide legislation raising the minimum purchase age for tobacco products to 21. Rauner vetoed the statewide Tobacco21 Initiative in August 2018, citing concerns that residents would go to other state to purchase tobacco products.

The village’s steps are inline with ordinances that were ahead of statewide moves, such as the Arlington Heights Clean Indoor Air ordinance in Nov. 2006 and its amendment in July 2014, to add “alternative nicotine products,” to the ordinance.

The Tobacco21 Initiative would not ban the possession of tobacco or alternative nicotine products by those who are 18 or older within the village.

more via the Daily Herald

Photo credit: Shutterstock