By Illinois Radio Network/Greg Bishop
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois’ brick and mortar small-business vaping industry may be getting a break from President Donald Trump, but they’re not out of the woods yet.
Trump said this week his administration is set to act on the nation’s vaping industry.
“As you know we’ll be taking it off, the flavors, for a period of time, certain flavors,” Trump said. “We’re going to protect our families, we’re going to protect our children and we’re going to protect the industry. Hopefully if everything is safe, they’re going to go very quickly back onto the market.”
The Washington Post reported that new federal policies on the e-cigarette industry could be announced this week.
Jon Sharp, store manager for vape shop Upper Limits in Springfield, said from what’s he’s read the move will be a ban on all flavors except menthol and tobacco in pre-filled vape pod systems and disposables like things sold in convenience stores, not the open-system vapor products like Upper Limits sells.
“Out of all the things that could have happened with this, this is the best possible outcome for us,” Sharp said. “It’s going to largely leave your brick-and-mortar adult-catering vape business untouched and it’s going directly after products that kids use.”
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield, issued a statement Wednesday saying “While today’s announcement is a step in the right direction, this policy still has a number of gaping holes.”
“For instance, we should be removing all e-cigarette flavors from the market – including menthol – as was promised four months ago,” Durbin said. “And we should not be exempting flavored nicotine products that kids can access in vape shops. There is simply no public health benefit to allowing cotton candy and gummy bear nicotine flavors to remain on vape shop shelves.”
“I believe that today’s announcement is a positive step, but it is far from a comprehensive one,” Durbin said.
The vaping industry says its products help adults quit smoking combustible tobacco. Trump agreed.
“Look, vaping can be good from the standpoint, if you look at the e-cigarettes, you stop smoking,” Trump said. “If you can stop smoking that’s a big advantage.”
In Illinois, state lawmakers could still act to ban all flavored vaping, something the vaping industry says would lead to increased health problems from illicit products.
“We’re never going to be in the clear with the state of Illinois as long as you have prohibitionists in charge of the government here, we’re going to always have to fight that fight,” Sharp said. “Let’s work on enforcement. Give these a chance to work before we go doing more things.”
Sharp said Trump’s move gives Illinois’ vaping industry ammo in battling a proposed state ban.
“It’s a new year and here we are still fighting for the same thing,” Sharp said. “We just legalized marijuana in this state, it’s because adults can make the decision for themselves, but we’re still trying to tell adults what nicotine products they can choose for themselves and I think maybe we need to make our policies maybe make a little more sense.”
Illinois lawmakers return later this month. Proponents of a flavor ban cite the recent rash of lung injuries and deaths.
