Hoffman Estates council bans vending machines that sell vaping products

The Village Board of Hoffman Estates approved an ordinance amending section 8-7-15 of the village code to restrict vending-type devices from selling electronic smoking devices and other tobacco-related products.

Village staff told the Public Health and Safety Committee and later the full board that vendors had requested permission to install vending-style machines that would sell electronic smoking devices and vape pens in establishments around town. A staff member said the devices “could be easily or more easily, reached by minors,” and staff did not consider that appropriate, prompting the proposed change to the code.

The change updates the village code’s sale-of-tobacco provisions to address a technology not anticipated in the existing language. Committee members voiced support; one trustee remarked, “I didn't even know they made those kind of machines.” The committee approved the ordinance and the full board carried the item by roll call vote.

The ordinance was recorded in committee as approved and later enacted by the board; the roll-call record shows ayes from Trustees Palafis, Stanton, Arnott, Keneen, Melmes, Neumann and Mayor McLeod. No dissenting votes were recorded in the transcript. The staff presentation and votes indicate the village’s change targets point-of-sale vending devices rather than retail counters staffed by clerks.

The ordinance amends section 8-7-15 of the village code; staff cited the village’s regulatory authority over where tobacco and tobacco-related products are sold and the need to prevent minors’ easy access. The transcript does not specify an effective date for the ordinance or fines/penalties associated with violations.