Countywide smoking ordinance advances

Smoking to be demonized in more places. Yayyy. So now we can go get loaded in dives in surrounding municipalities.

Chicago Tribune | Countywide smoking ordinance advances
A smoking ban affecting more than 115 suburbs moved toward reality Monday as a committee of Cook County commissioners endorsed without opposition the end of puffing away in places such as restaurants, bars, casinos and bowling alleys.

“This has been a long time in coming,” Diana Hackbarth, chairwoman of the Illinois Coalition Against Tobacco, said after the meeting. “Public opinion about smoking has changed. The time has really come to do the right thing on protecting public health.”

But wait, there are 115 suburbs in Chicagoland? Holy highways, Batman!

The ordinance will go to the full Board of County Commissioners for a vote Wednesday. With no opposition on Monday from commissioners or business owners, Commissioner Mike Quigley (D), the lead sponsor of the ordinance, said passage is all but assured. Unlike Chicago's ban, which gives bars two years to comply, the county ban would become law in 60 days.

Quigley said his only regret is that some towns will be able to wriggle out of the ban, which he expects a few to do.

And mobbed-up (allegedly, ahem) Cicero says, “No fracking way!”

Unincorporated parts of Cook County would be required to implement the ban, but municipalities could opt out by passing their own ordinance. Proft said Cicero officials would examine their options, but they have never enacted a smoking ban for a simple reason: They don't want one.

“The belief in the Town of Cicero is that business operators have the right to run their businesses in the bounds of the law as they see fit,” he said. “No one is forced to go into a particular bar or restaurant that allows smoking.”

update: 3/15/06 - Ordinance passed today:

Nearly every public building in Cook County will be smoke free within a year, thanks to a vote Wednesday by county commissioners.

The county board voted to approve a sweeping smoking ban that goes well beyond a similar ban passed last year in the city of Chicago.

Under the county ban, all public buildings -- including restaurants, bars, sports venues, and workplaces, and within 15 feet of any entrance to enclosed areas. The ban will take effect March 15, 2007.

After lobbying by advocates for nursing home residents, those facilities were made exempt. However, other health-care facilities are included.

Tags: Chicago, /smoking