The Chicago suburb of Mundelein has joined the Tobacco 21 movement, as on Monday the village board passed an ordinance raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco and alternative nicotine products from 18 to 21-years-old.

Once the increase goes into effect on March 1, 2018, retailers who sell tobacco products to persons under 21 will face fines between $100 and $500 for a first offense, with a second offense punishable by a fine between $250 and $500. A third offense in a two-year period comes with a $500 fine. Retailers also face the possibility of losing their tobacco sales license.

Additionally, a person under 21 who is found to have purchased tobacco can be fined between $100 and $500.

Mundelein joins a growing list of cities in the Chicago area and beyond to pass such an increase, joining ChicagoEvanstonOak ParkElk Grove Village, Highland Park, Deerfield, Naperville, Maywood, Vernon Hills, Berwyn, Lincolnshire, Buffalo Grove, as well as the unincorporated areas of Lake County.

An increase has also been proposed at the state level, though it has failed to proceed to votes by both chambers of the legislature.

Mundelein is located 40 miles northwest of Chicago and is home to approximately 31,500 people.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.