PEKIN, Ill. – At Monday nights City Council meeting in Pekin, members voted to amend the ordinance of possession of tobacco products and electronic smoking devices by persons under 21.
Earlier this year, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed an initiative known as Tobacco 21, where Illinois residents must be 21 in order to purchase tobacco products. That includes cigarettes, chewing tobacco, e-cigarettes, and vape products.
Pekin Mayor Mark Luft said that this amendment completes the ordinance that had already been passed earlier this year.
“After it passed, we had the high school come forward, the school district, and give their input on that after they read through the ordinance,” Luft said. “And, [we] got a little more input from the police department, and decided that we wanted to work together.”
Luft said the possession part of the ordinance had not yet been discussed. The council wanted the school district’s opinion.
“And especially with the schools, because that’s where you have the largest entity of that age group that now it’s illegal for them. They need some help from us, and we wanted to make sure they had that help,” Luft said.
There is a 10 day grace period of when the ordinance becomes in effect, because the ordinance has fines attached to it when violated.
“It gives a chance to put warnings out, it gives the chance to put the communication out that now there is an ordinance for this,” Luft said.
Luft hopes the amendment to the ordinance will help detour those underage away from tobacco products.
“As a whole, I think it will help clean things up. I think there are plenty people that age that hold themselves accountable and are responsible,” Luft said.
