O’Shea wants ban on flavored tobacco

Citing the “link between respiratory issues and COVID-19,” an influential alderman wants Chicago to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products used to lure young people into a lifetime of addiction.

Ald. Matt O’Shea (19th), one of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s closest City Council allies, said he plans to introduce the ban at Wednesday’s City Council meeting with support from “the mayor’s leadership team.”

“The recent statistics that I saw were alarming — especially when you see the intersection of pulmonary lung issues and COVID-19. It’s time we had this discussion. This is about saving young lives,” O’Shea told the Sun-Times.

“Flavored tobacco is a real problem in every community for young children and teens. Anything we can do to save people from a later life problem of pulmonary issues, cancer and other disease attributable to tobacco, we should do here.”

In an email to his constituents, O’Shea cited data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that showed a surge in electronic cigarette use among high school students — from 1.5% in 2011 to 27.5% in 2019.

Even more alarming: 67% of high school students using tobacco products “reported using a flavored tobacco product in the past 30 days,” the alderman wrote.

Ald. Ray Lopez (15th), the mayor’s most outspoken City Council critic, has introduced a ban on all e-cigarettes — flavored or not. But the ordinance has languished in committee.

On Tuesday, Lopez likened O’Shea’s proposal to ban only the sale of flavored tobacco products as “putting our toes in the lake without fully jumping in.”