Lincolnwood board adopts ban on flavored liquid nicotine products, effective May 1

The Lincolnwood Village Board on Jan. 20 adopted an ordinance amending Chapter 10 of the village municipal code to prohibit the retail sale of flavored liquid nicotine products, with the ban scheduled to take effect May 1, 2026.

Assistant Village Manager Farrell summarized the draft ordinance for the board, saying it would apply to all current and future businesses without grandfathering and would exempt menthol-flavored products. Farrell told the board that violations would remain subject to existing enforcement and penalty language in the code — fines of up to $2,500 and potential license suspension or revocation — and that the police department would continue annual compliance checks and complaint-based inspections. Farrell also presented comparative implementation timelines used by nearby communities and said, "As presented tonight... the ordinance goes into effect 10 days after its adoption," but noted neighboring cities had implementation windows ranging from about one to four months.

The presentation included local revenue figures for context: "In calendar year 2024, tobacco and vape shops in Lincolnwood produced $163,000 in sales tax revenue," and staff reported that the eight shops for which data were available showed just under $100,000 in sales tax revenue for January through August 2025.

During public comment, business owners and employees urged the board to consider alternatives to an outright ban. Alan Orham, who identified himself as the owner of Smoke Depot, said his business and other local shops were willing to adopt additional security measures and stricter carding but warned that a ban would threaten their ability to stay open: "My rent is $8,400 a month... There's no way we'd be able to stay in business," he said. Another speaker, Dino Hermez, who said he is a partner at Smoke Depot, argued that vaping has helped some people quit cigarettes and that a ban could push customers to unregulated sources.

Board members acknowledged those economic concerns but emphasized youth vaping and public-health considerations. One trustee said the flavored products "feel like an attraction" to younger people and compared local action to other public-health regulatory decisions such as bans on leaded gasoline and lead paint. Board members and staff discussed alternatives such as tighter hours, security requirements and licensing changes, but several trustees said those measures had been considered previously and that the flavored-products restriction was the policy they were prepared to adopt.

Trustee Klatsko moved to approve the ordinance as amended to take effect May 1, 2026; the motion received a second and passed on a roll-call vote. Clerk DeLisi called the roll and the motion carried. The board directed staff to work with the village manager and the village attorney on implementation details.

The ordinance exempts menthol-flavored liquid nicotine products and does not include grandfathering for existing inventory or retailers. Staff noted that the village's draft does not change the village's existing enforcement framework; penalties and potential license actions would follow the municipal code. The board also scheduled no further votes on the ordinance at the meeting; following the roll call, the board moved to adjourn to an executive session to consider closed-session minutes.

What happens next: the ordinance is effective May 1, 2026. Village staff will coordinate enforcement timing, compliance guidance and outreach with affected businesses and report back to the board as needed.