Shops selling vapes that look like school supplies ahead of 1st day of school, Joliet officials say

JOLIET, Ill. (WLS) -- Vaping has become an alarming trend that that educators and law enforcement are trying to put an end to.

On Tuesday, a coalition of concerned people in Joliet shared details about their efforts to protect minors.

So far, city officials have had some success using fines and license suspensions with increasing penalties to keep shops from selling nicotine products to minors.

However, they say there is still a problem with underage access to vaping products.

School officials said they have seen an uptick in use of e-cigarettes by high school students and disciplinary cases.

The group said manufactures are making new e-cigarettes that look like school supplies and everyday objects like highlighters.

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Senate Bill 3098 prohibits electronic cigarettes from being purchased by mail, online or through other remote sales methods from being shipped to anyone in Illinois other than a distributor or retailer.

School starts August 19 and officials have set up a tip line to report offenders.

SB 3098 was signed into law on Friday and goes into effect on January 1, 2025.

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