Evanston City Council introduced a bill Monday night that would raise the legal age for the sale and purchase of tobacco from 18 to 21, after they voted to remove a clause in the proposed law that would similarly raise the age of tobacco possession.
Alderman Ann Rainey (8th Ward) proposed the amendment to remove the possession clause, which passed with a vote of 7–2. The bill, written by Evanston's Human Services Committee, will be voted into law or not at a later city council meeting.
City aldermen were split on whether or not the law would serve its intended purpose.
"It does essentially criminalize something that's already legal," said Alderman Donald Wilson (4th Ward), who voted with the majority. "If somebody is unfortunate enough to have already starting smoking and become addicted to these products then we're imposing a $250 to $500 fine on citizens using them. I'm not comfortable with that."
Alderman Jane Grover (7th Ward) voiced the minority opinion by relaying a personal story, but failed to win over the support of many of the other aldermen.
"I have two offspring that are right in that age group," Grover said. "For those approaching the age of use of tobacco, they can just use in their own homes. In the comfort of their own homes, I don't think police are trying to ticket anyone for possession."
Earlier in the meeting, the council heard a testimony from Donald Ziegler, chair of the Evanston Health Advisory Council. Ziegler commented on the dangers of tobacco use by teenagers.
"Nearly all smokers start and become addicted as kids or young adults," Ziegler said. "Even though smoking rates have declined, an unbelievable 15 to 21 percent of our seniors smoke tobacco products. Passing this bill will demonstrate that Evanston is a leader in providing for the health and quality of its citizens."
With this testimony in mind, the amended bill passed unanimously for action at a later meeting.
Although the possession clause was removed from the bill, some aldermen thought the proposed bill didn't go far enough. Expounding on an earlier suggestion by Wilson, Alderman Delores Holmes (5th Ward) suggested that the town should take a firmer stance on tobacco products and ban their use entirely.
"Maybe we should be like CVS and be bold," Holmes said. "Maybe we'll be the first city in the country to do that. How about that?"