Summer festivals have almost become a tradition in many Chicagoland suburbs. It seems each town has their own and unique celebration to bring the community together, and enjoy the summer. However, with so many different people in one place comes a potential problem, and that is public smoking and an issue of second hand smoke.
Although the state of Illinois passed the “Smoke Free Illinois” act back in 2008, it seems very little has been done about smoking at such outdoor events. The bill does not mention a smoking ban at outdoor locations, only indoor.
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The bill says: “No person shall smoke in a public place or in any place of employment or within 15 feet of any entrance to a public place or place of employment…An owner shall reasonably assure that smoking is prohibited in indoor public places and workplaces.”
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However, the question that some are asking is if smoking is harmful at an indoor location, what would make an outdoor location any better? The state’s thought behind the indoor ban is that second hand smoke reaches more people when they are in a restaurant or bar, but fails to point out situations where large groups are together outside.
One of the other sources of confusion is the terminology of the smoke free bill. The bill is designed to keep smoking out of “public places”, which are cited as bars and restaurants specifically. The American Lung Association offers a list of what the state calls public places on their website, but nowhere does it say a park, or street during a festival. Again, some may wonder, isn’t that a public place?
According to the current bill, the answer is no, unless the park owners want to enforce the law. Just last year, the city of San Francisco implemented a new smoking law, banning outdoor smoking, and it received negative feedback.
Smokers, however, would have a little bit of a different outlook at the situation. The bill is designed to ban smoking and prevent second hand smoke indoors, where there is little to no ventilation. With an outdoor event, that problem does not exist, and there is plenty of room for non-smokers to move around and avoid the smoke.
Some non-smokers believe outdoor events such as festivals and concerts should be included in the law. Smokers do not, and there isn’t very much talk amongst state lawmakers to change the bill. At this point, it is up to each municipality and town to make their own decisions, each with their own impact.
