Illinois Valley Times

Illinois state Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) would like to add some more weight to a bill that would ban e-cigarettes in Illinois.

“This week, the bill banning the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products was heard in committee,” Rezin recently posted on Twitter. “While I agree that this has become a health crisis, I had questions on why the bill doesn’t address THC, which is the main factor in the medical issues we are hearing about.”

Sponsored by Republican state Rep. Dan Ugaste of Geneva, House Bill 3887 seeks to ban flavored e-cigarette products on a statewide level by creating the Flavored Tobacco Ban Act that also prohibits the sale of nicotine products.

Rezin has long been on record in asserting that vaping companies should only be able to market their products to adults. As part of her previously proposed legislation, she also advocated for creating a database at the Illinois Department of Public Health to track all illnesses stemming from vaping.

The state’s proposed ban on flavored vaping products comes after nearly 400 people have been hospitalized with respiratory issues from using such devices, several of whom have died. To date, Illinois and Wisconsin have seen the highest number of vaping-related illnesses, with Illinois recording the first reported death.

Earlier this year, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot joined the chorus of Illinois lawmakers calling for a ban on flavored e-cigarettes, which came just days after President Donald Trump publicly did so nationally.

Healthline.com defines THC as the main psychoactive compound in marijuana that creates the high sensation that can be created by smoking marijuana.