Raising Evanston's Age for Tobacco Purchase Up for Vote Monday

Evanston alderman are scheduled to vote on this revised ordinance Monday.

Updated Oct. 14:

Evanston aldermen Monday decided to remove the reference to possessing tobacco in the proposed ordinance so that it now reads that it would be illegal for anyone under 21 to buy tobacco products in Evanston, according to an article in the Daily Northwestern.

Alderman did not like the idea that someone addicted to the products who is between the ages of 18 or 21 and legally bought cigarettes elsewhere could be penalized in Evanston. The council will vote on the ordinance in two weeks.

You can read the full Daily Northwestern article here.

Original article published Oct. 10:

The Evanston City Council on Monday will consider raising the minimum age to buy and possess tobacco from 18 to 21.

The proposal was unanimously supported by the Health and Human Services Committee last week, according to an article in the Evanston Review.

If approved, Evanston would be the first community in Illinois to enact the change, the article says. Communities in Massachusetts, Hawaii and New York have already done so.

You can read the full Evanston Review article here.