SPRINGFIELD – To protect youth from the dangers of vaping, e-cigarettes will no longer be shipped to Illinois under a new law led by State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel.

“The internet has made it very easy for kids to get vapes,” said Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood). “Manufacturers are making e-cigarettes look like school supplies, making it difficult for teachers to decipher if it’s a vape or not. After hearing from local elected officials who were seeing an uptick in the usage of vapes in schools, it was clear we had to put guardrails in place to protect kids from the dangers of smoking.”

Senate Bill 3098 prohibits electronic cigarettes purchased by mail, online or through other remote sale methods from being shipped to anyone in the state other than a distributor or retailer. Loughran Cappel’s law came in response to students obtaining e-cigarettes that are designed to look like everyday objects, such as highlighters.

“When vape pens can be engineered in the form of school supplies to conceal its identity, the device can be hidden in plain sight so parents or adults won’t recognize it as an e-cigarette,” said Michelle Stiff, Joliet Township High School District 204 board president. “There has been an alarming increase of e-cigarette use by high school students. We are seeing far too many student discipline cases related to vaping. This is why there needs to be a comprehensive and collaborative approach to lessen the accessibility of sale and marketing of vape products.”

Senate Bill 3098 was signed into law Friday and goes into effect Jan. 1, 2025.

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