Local smoke shop says new tobacco age limit will impact business

LASALLE – Governor J.B. Pritzker’s new law raising the state’s tobacco purchasing age to 21 takes effect the first of July, and one local smoke shop is worried about business. Manager Jazsmin Farley of Boss Vapes in LaSalle says, 20 percent of her customer base is in the age range of 18-20. The shop sells alternatives to cigarettes like vape devices, juices and tobacco pieces. Although the shop doesn’t carry cigarettes, Farley says the dollar tax hike per pack wont make things much better. The hike will bring the state’s tobacco tax to second-highest in the Midwest. Farley believes the new laws will take away from small businesses and go straight to online sales.