Teen Vaping In Joliet: Police Chief Reveals 47 Business Violations

JOLIET —Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans was one of the speakers at Tuesday morning's City Hall conference, discussing the city's efforts to reduce teenage vaping in the community and efforts to enforce the laws pertaining to the sale of tobacco products to minors in Joliet.

Joliet Patch livestreamed the entire press conference and you can re-watch the event at the bottom of this story.

"It is the responsibility of the Joliet Police Department to ensure the safety and well-being of every member of our community, particularly, more vulnerable populations, such as our youth," Evans declared. "Today, I want to emphasize the importance of one of our top priorities: enforcing the laws that keep tobacco products out of the hands of our underage citizens."

According to Evans, the legal age in Illinois to purchase tobacco products is 21 "and we found businesses violating that law, so we began holding license holders accountable for their employees selling to underage minors. Since September of 2023, we have intensified our enforcement efforts, and I'm proud to report that we have cited 47 violations at various businesses across the city for the sale of tobacco products to underage individuals."

Evans pointed out that a 2021 study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that young people who use vaping products are more likely to use other substances in the future such as alcohol, street drugs and prescription drugs.

"Let me be clear," Evans asserted, "We will not tolerate any business that disregards these laws. Our message to those who sell tobacco products is simple, if you sell to minors, you will be caught and you will face the consequences. Our ongoing enforcement efforts will continue to be a top priority and we will use every resource at our disposal to protect the youth of Joliet from the dangers of tobacco."