Cigarette machine removal suggested

By Paul Brizz

If a DeKalb resident has his way, the city may remove cigarette vending machines from local businesses.

Del Lawson, DeKalb Human Relations Committee chairman, said the DeKalb city council should take steps to control the sale of vending machine cigarettes to minors.

“My suggestion is that the city of DeKalb enact an ordinance to bar cigarette vending machines in public places other than in bars,” he said.

“These (tobacco) vending machines are accessible to children and tobacco is very detrimental to a person’s health,” said Lawson.

Lawson wrote a letter to the DeKalb city council stating that he found an “amazing” amount of cigarette vending machines in DeKalb businesses. The letter also states that children can easily obtain cigarettes from these machines.

“Both cigarettes and beer are regulated by law as to how old you must be in order to purchase them,” Lawson said.

New York City has cigarette vending machine laws as do many other U.S. cities, he said.

“I think we have an obligation to try and do what we can to curtail people from dying and becoming addicted to cigarettes,” he said.

At Monday night’s city council meeting, Lawson’s letter was discussed but the council tabled the issue until further information can be obtained regarding all aspects of this issue.

There are alcohol and cigarette laws which require people to have identification to purchase these substances, but there are not any beer vending machines in DeKalb, said 7th Ward Ald. Jordan Kagan.

“I think smoking is an extreme danger to one’s health and I feel it is possibly reaching epidemic proportions with the amount of young people starting to smoke,” Kagan said.

“If we restrict (children) from buying cigarettes, it may help them,” he said. Kagan said controlling vending machines would help enforce existing cigarette laws.

“I would like to have more time to look at all the aspects and get more information before I make any decisions,” 1st Ward Ald. Amy Polzin said.