Smoking ban: Illinois gets ready for new law
- Font Size:
- Default font size
- Larger font size
By Dustin Lemmon | Monday, December 31, 2007 |
A smoker has a cigarette while waiting for the next bingo game to start at the American Legion in Moline. Illinois passed a no-smoking law this year that goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. Smoking will be banned in restaurants, bars and workplaces, which means smokers will have to go outside when not smoking at home. Buy this Photo
Be they casino boat gamblers, veterans or cigar lovers, smokers in Illinois will no longer be able to light up in their favorite establishments as of midnight.
Illinois passed a no-smoking law this year that goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. Smoking will be banned in restaurants, bars and workplaces, which means smokers will often be kept outside when not smoking at home.
Many establishments will be removing their ashtrays after their New Year’s celebrations wind down, but some owners still have questions about how the law works, and some private clubs hope they will eventually be exempt from the law.
Michael King, owner of Copia Martini and Wine Bar and Hickory Brothers Cigar Lounge in downtown Rock Island, has considered building a wall between his two businesses, which are connected, but for now, he will simply ask customers not to smoke in either establishment.
“I’m doing everything possible to keep both businesses open,” he said. “I won’t allow smoking until we get it fixed. The last thing I need is police coming in and writing
tickets.”
The two businesses have co-existed next door to one another since Copia opened in 2002. The cigar lounge opened in 1997.
King was trying to get an answer from Rock Island’s mayor and liquor commissioner Mark Schwiebert last week on what he can do with his businesses. When the city passes a no-smoking ordinance, which it plans to do soon, the liquor commissioner would have the authority to rescind the owner’s liquor license for violations.
According to King, the city wants him to make the two establishments one business and eliminate smoking, but he thinks the law makes an exception for the cigar lounge.
King is not the only business owner with lingering questions about how the new law works.
Dave O’Keefe, owner of O’Keefe’s Sports Pub & Grill, 1331 5th Ave., Moline, built a new gazebo earlier this year that doubled the capacity of his bar but may violate the law because it’s within 15 feet of the door. The gazebo is designed to allow for smoking, and O’Keefe doesn’t plan to stop customers from doing so after the law goes into effect.
“It fits the letter of the law,” he said of the gazebo. “I’m going to be smoking for a while until somebody stops me. They still haven’t given a definitive answer.”
Questions about how the law will affect gazeboes still have to be addressed by the state at a meeting Jan. 9, said Theresa Foes, director of health promotion for the Rock Island County Health Department. She noted in some cases the gazebo may fall under the rules if employees have to work where smoking is allowed.
“We’re waiting for the rules to come out on that,” she said. “I think there are some issues of interpretation.”
If the gazebo, which has walls and a ceiling, but some open ventilation, does have to be smoke-free, O’Keefe will still use the additional space for bands in the summer and for party reservations.
The no-smoking law also affects private establishments such as VFWs and American Legions.
Dave Etter, a bartender at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1571 in Aledo, Ill., doesn’t think it’s right to ask veterans to stop smoking at their bar.
“They’ve served their time in wars, and now they’re not going to be able to smoke,” he said. “I don’t think that’s right.”
Etter expects the new law to affect patronage at the VFW.
“I’ve had a few people say I’m not going to be down” after today, he said. “They’ve been asking what are you going to do, and we say ‘Well, you can’t smoke.’ I’m not sure how it can’t hurt the bars.”
The no-smoking law might lower attendance for Sunday and Thursday bingo nights at American Legion Post 246 in Moline, commander Pete Duytschaever said. He worries those who like to smoke will go over to play bingo in Iowa.
“It might hurt us for a while, and then it might wear off and people might come back,” Duytschaever speculated. “If we don’t have bingo, we’re going to have to shut the doors.”
Rep. Mike Boland, D-East Moline, plans to introduce legislation in coming weeks to exempt VFWs and American Legions. He voted against the act, but said he did so only because it included bars and private clubs.
“I hope actually, they don’t smoke because I recognize the dangers of it,” Boland said, “but I feel these guys and gals who have represented our country ... if they choose to do that, I feel they deserve that kind of respect and we should go ahead with their choice.”
Sen. Todd Sieben, R-Geneseo, who co-sponsored the no-smoking bill, thinks there should be an exemption for VFWs and Legion halls and expects the issue to be addressed by lawmakers this year.
“It goes a little far in that it also makes private establishments smoke-free,” he said. “I think there will be an effort next year (in 2008) to support some private clubs.”
Sieben said the state was moving toward a no-smoking law for some time by giving cities and counties the authority to pass no-smoking laws, which Chicago and Springfield had already done. He said such laws were delayed for years because people argued there was no proof secondhand smoke was hazardous. Now the evidence is “overwhelming,” Sieben said.
“I think the majority of people support this legislation,” he said. “The majority of people in Illinois do not smoke.”
Bill Renk, spokesman for Jumer’s Casino Rock Island, said the boat will be adding two designated smoking areas on its decks that will be enclosed. Officials also are making plans for designated smoking areas at its new casino, which is still under construction.
“The law is the law, so we deal with it,” he said. “We deal with a gaming experience, so (attendance) should, if you’re doing it right, go beyond smoking.”
Sieben doesn’t see the need to exempt casinos, and the casino is not planning for a reversal of the state’s decision, Renk said. Sieben thinks the law could work to Jumer’s Casino Rock Island’s advantage by drawing more nonsmoking gamblers.
“We’re hoping we might find some new gamers because it is a nonsmoking environment,” Renk said. “When it comes to regulatory laws, it comes both good and bad.”
Dustin Lemmon can be contacted at (563) 383-2493 or dlemmon@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.
del.icio.us
Digg
NewsVine
Fark
reddit» More Local Stories
Highest Rated Articles from the last 7 Days
- Comtex Business News
- Add Real-Time Business Newsfeeds to your Site from 1000+ Sources.
- www.comtex.com
- Technology News Articles
- Computers, MP3, Phones & More. See Product Pics, Specs & Reviews.
- www.NexTag.com
- Discount Magazines
- Save up to 80% off the Cover Price. Select from your favorites.
- www.MagazineOutlet.com
- Ads by Yahoo!
