Illinois Highlights

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States and in Illinois. To address this enormous toll, the American Lung Association calls for the following actions to be taken by Illinois’ elected officials:

During the 103rd Illinois General Assembly, legislators introduced several bills related to e-cigarette use, particularly among youth. House Bill 5069 would have amended the Preventing Youth Vaping Act to establish an e-cigarette certification directory based on U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pre-market tobacco application (PMTA) status. Health advocates worked to inform state representatives about the potential harms of passing such legislation given it would endorse products deemed illegal by FDA as legal in the state of Illinois. This bill passed out of its House committee but did not advance further.

Senate Bill 2662 passed and was signed into law, which amends the Preventing Youth Vaping Act to prohibit the advertising of electronic cigarettes that could be mistaken for non-tobacco products, such as school supplies. The Prevention of Tobacco Use by Persons under 21 Years of Age Act was amended to prohibit the delivery of e-cigarettes ordered online directly to consumers. Health advocates tried unsuccessfully to strengthen this legislation to have it include all tobacco products.

Since 2020, bills that try to carve out sales exemptions for products that have a pending PMTA with the FDA have been introduced across the country, including in Illinois through HB5069. The introduction of these bills has been led by major tobacco companies—including convicted racketeers Altria (Philip Morris USA) and Reynolds American, to cut out their competitors and increase their market share.

As of December 2023, the Illinois Tobacco Quitline (ITQL) began providing a free 2-weeks supply of over-the-counter nicotine patches, gum, or lozenge two times per year to individuals with Medicaid insurance. Medicaid clients are also eligible for 90 days of all 7 FDA-approved quit medications with a prescription from their primary care provider. By providing the starter set along with weekly counseling, most Medicaid clients have remained active in the program.

The ITQL and the Illinois Department of Public Health tobacco control program collaborated with Rescue Agency to research and develop a targeted awareness and ITQL promotion campaign to reach menthol tobacco users in specific areas of Chicago and East St. Louis in 2024. Additionally, the Chicago Department of Public Health was awarded a 5-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office on Smoking and Health to reduce the burden of menthol and flavors in Chicago communities.

Illinois has made great progress in reducing the tobacco burden and needs to continue its commitment by increasing state funding for tobacco prevention and control and the cost of tobacco products, especially e-cigarettes in 2025. Additional funding is available through Juul settlement dollars, and it is crucial that Illinois use these funds for their intended purpose so we can prevent tobacco addiction in future generations.