Chicago Smoking Ban
By Chris • Updated Apr 30th, 2008 • Category: Chicago News
On January 1st, 2008, The City of Chicago officially put a smoking ban in effect for all “public places”. This includes the usual places such as theaters and hospitals, but the real change will came in the bars and nightclubs. When this new smoking ban in effect, the only exemptions are for private residences and for business that make more than 80% of their revenue from the sale of tobacco.
Personally, I applaud the smoking ban and think it is long overdue. I think smoking is a disgusting habit and I really enjoy going out on the town and not reeking of cigarette smoke. I used to come home from a night at the bars and would need to shower before stumbling to bed because I could smell the chemicals on myself. I am happy that Chicago has adopted this smoking ban.
Obviously some of my readers don’t agree, and that is okay. The comments section of this smoking ban post has been very active, even through April 2008. Some of the commenters have left links to websites which oppose the ban, and I have highlighted some of those links here:
Chicago Smoking Ban - links submitted by readers
American Cancer Society
Heartland Institute
MSNBC Article
Ban The Ban Wisconsin
Stay tuned to Chicago Hot Blog for updates on the Chicago Smoking Ban or get new posts emailed to your inbox.
Chicago Summer Events
Chicago Weekend Events
Taste of Chicago
2008 Chicago Air Show
Hi Chris,
I’m all for the smoking ban, too. I’m also a little new to the blog thing and the only person who has commented on mine so far is my brother! Anyway…I thought I’d leave a quick comment just to let you know that I found your blog, I live in Chicago and read this post. I like your domain name, the look of your blog and I’m a big fan of Chicago. I’ll subscibe, too. Best of luck, Liz
Liz -
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting. Always nice to get a message when the comment box is looking a little empty.
-Chris
When I visit Chi-town I die in the Clubs especially since i’m a dj we are higher up and it’s horrible. I’m booking all my gigs after jan 1st because I just came back and my voice is basically gone. I got so used to the air being clean I forgot how gross is it. Not to mention the safety of bartenders and bouncers.
Jay-
Thanks for stopping by the site and commenting. I know a lot of people will benefit from the new Chicago Smoking Ban. I’m glad to hear that you work in the clubs and approve of the ban.
-Chris
You’re being selfish saying “I think smoking is a disgusting habit and I shouldn’t have to come home smelling of cigarettes just because I want to go out on the town with my friends.”for you. Don’t want to smell like cigarettes? Well you don’t have to..Don’t go to a bar. Bars have been the same thing for as long as I can remember…smoking there isn’t new. Same with clubs..Why can’t you go for a walk outside or something? Visit a museum, i don’t care..
When it’s below zero, why should i have to go fifteen feet away from the door to smoke, while my whole family is inside without me, where it’s warm?
Come 2008, I hope the sidewalks are crowded with smokers for you.
anyway, it’s not like smokers are really out to get you.. why so hostile in your last paragraph?
a55hole
gmos -
Thanks for stopping by and for sharing your thoughts. I will say that I find it funny that you would say I am being selfish for wanting you to go fifteen feet away while your whole family is inside… You would rather stay inside and blow smoke in your family’s faces? Sounds like you are the one being selfish.
Really it’s all a matter of opinion. Either you are smoker and you like to smoke, or you’re a non-smoker and you don’t like smoke. My opinon is that the smokers impose themselves onto the non-smokers, not the other way around.
Despite the disagreement, thanks for stopping by the blog and for commenting.
-Chris
I am thrilled about the ban. Second-hand smoke is terrible for everyone’s health and why should I have to breath that crud when I want to go out and be social? I always have to hop in the shower after a night out in a “smoking bar”. I also feel worse the day after a night in a smoke-filled place. The fact is that smoking was considered fashionable and sexy back in the day… Today we know better and owe it to ourselves to live more responsibly.
Regarding the enforcement of the ban, I think people who want to see the law enforced will report establishments that are not in compliance.
One question though… I have seen some data reflecting June 08 as the deadline… not Jan 08. Is that a typo? Or do some places still have until June to comply?
Elaine
As far as I can tell, the smoking ban goes into full effect on Jan 1, 2008 for all places of business…
-Chris
The original Chicago smoking ban was in July, 2008. This was a city ordinance. Illinois has now passed a law, which takes affect on Jan. 1, 2008. It supercedes the Chicago law. That’s the reason for the confusion.
Barry -
Thanks for the clarification and thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment.
-Chris
That last paragraph was mean i think pepole should be able to smoke if they want too. That last paragraph was uneeded
Hi Chris,
Wanted to let you know that I’ve included this link on my blog post about the ban: http://www.gochicagocard.com/blog/2007/12/14/chicagos-smoking-ban-no-butts-about-it/. Personally, I’m all for a smoking ban, but I’m a nonsmoker.
Susan
J dog - Sorry if you didn’t like the last paragraph, but thanks for stopping by the blog and taking the time to comment.
Susan - Thanks for the link and I’ll be sure to check back on your site.
-Chris
This is why there is a smoking ban it’s a shame that this isn’t occurring at the national level:
“Secondhand smoke can be harmful in many ways. In the United States alone, each year it is responsible for:
* an estimated 35,000 deaths from heart disease in non-smokers who live with smokers
* about 3,400 lung cancer deaths in non-smoking adults
* other breathing problems in non-smokers, including coughing, mucus, chest discomfort, and reduced lung function
* 150,000 to 300,000 lung infections (such as pneumonia and bronchitis) in children younger than 18 months of age, which result in 7,500 to 15,000 hospitalizations
* increases in the number and severity of asthma attacks in about 200,000 to 1 million children who have asthma
* more than 750,000 middle ear infections in children”
Source: American Cancer Society
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_2X_Secondhand_Smoke-Clean_Indoor_Air.asp
It also increases the number of children with asthma.
These statistics alone should convince any smoker to avoid smoking in public, regardless if there is a ban. So who is being selfish here? On a side note, when i was a sophmore in college, granted that was only a few years ago, I did a speech on this very topic and I’m glad to see it is going to finally happen.
I would like to know if cigarettes are so horrible, why not just STOP selling them? They are all concerned about people and their health. Yeah, right. If they really are, they would just stop selling them. All they care about it is the revenue they get from cigarettes. Seems hypritical and to me.
Hi All,
Interesting dialogue going here. I lived in Chicago for a few years and now live in NY where the smoking ban is well in effect. And, yes, people do figure out how to smoke outside in the bitter cold. I do wonder, however, how all these little side rules will apply, like the smoking 15 feet from the entrance - come on, if you’re kicking everyone out, trust me, that rule really doesn’t matter. And though I do think there has been some undue harshness regarding smokers as “bad” people, they will step aside and not smoke right in your face as you’re entering/leaving an establishment. Also, there are no loophopes in Chicago’s ban - in NY, private clubs that are owner-run still allow smoking - really hard to come by, but desperate smokers find them.
I hate coming back to Chicago, going to a bar, and having a hangover the next day more from second-hand smoke than from alcohol, for sure…but I do wonder how people will handle the rules (what will relax? what will be more stringent?) not Jan 1st, but a few months from now.
To Everyone -
Thanks for keeping the conversation going. We’re getting near to the deadline now…
-Chris
it’s funny how so many people applaud a smoking ban on ALL public places. I mean bars and clubs? come on now. let’s all come down to reality here. This sucks! These are BIG BROTHER laws that have no place in a FREE country
If you don’t like smoking, open up a smoke free bar for non-smokers. I don’t smoke and I wouldn’t want my rights taken away. WAKE UP PEOPLE!
jollyrolly -
I’m sorry, but I hardly think of smoking as a “right”. What about my right to go out to dinner or go have a beverage and not come out smelling like an ash tray?
-Chris
You non-smokers are geekier than Urkel during a MacGuyver marathon. Who the f— but a total moron just sprung from life-long lockdown at the looney bin goes to a bar and doesn’t expect smoke? Here’s a newsflash: non-smokers do not pay the bills at the Chicago tavern, and if this IL law is enforced at all, the tavern owner will be forced to close his or her doors, and you will all be packed together in the few remaining nightlife zones in Wicker Park, Wrigleyville, and River North. Most of the thousands of bar and club regulars or semi-regulars whom I’ve met over the past 20 years of going out in this city smoke, and they aren’t going outside to smoke. Please, alcohol-swilling hypocrites, spare us your laughable goody-two-shoes proselytizing about smoking and the health of bar workers (bouncers? WTF did you ingest at the club before you posted?). Here’s a solution: GET OUT OF OUR F——G BARS. You are not wanted in 90% of the bars in the Metro area anyway, so sit at home and f— yourselves.
“Chuck Woolery” -
While I appreciate your comment, I have to disagree. Do you really think that smokers are going to stop going to nightclubs because they can’t smoke?
-Chris
I am a local bar owner and I just dont understand the logic here. Why cant it be a free market situation. If you dont like smokey bars…dont go into them! If you dont want to work in a smokey bar …dont! How can people justify this kind of infringement by local government? This is private property and a legal substance we are talking about! Christ! we dont even have a helmet law in Illinois …This will not end here. It will be Big-Macs and french fries some day. Obesity is at epidemic levels in our society right?. Just my $.02
I’m with Hank on this one. Why not have smoking and non-smoking bars? Was this even considered? This country was founded in smoky back rooms, and, for that matter, so was this particular city’s greatness. It seems to me that we are slowly edging toward a society where we are not allowed to make decisions for ourselves. First goes the cigarettes, then the booze, folks. By God, we’ll make these bars a healthy place! For everyone! Bring your babies! (are you following me here?) While you anti-smokers rejoice and dance around in your trainers and track pants, i can only be reminded of the poem “First they came for the ______, but I didn’t do anything, because I wasn’t a ________.” This is a slippery slope, people. Have any of you gone into bars in NYC or San Francisco lately? The scent of stale beer and urinal cake is overwhelming in the pubs there. I would much rather smell an ashtray than that, any day.
Well…atleast a few of you got this one right. This is such an obvious case of individual civil liberties being infringed. Everyone has the right to eat, drink and work at whichever bars and restaurants they prefer. By choosing to frequent an establishment, you, in effect, agree to the conditions within. There are many smoke free eating options throughout the city, and fair number of smoke free bars, which likely correlates to roughly the number of vehimently anti smoking bar patrons compared to the entire bar patron community. In the future, if more and more bar patrons choose to only go to those bars that are smoke free by choice, the market would shift on its own and some smoke bars would probably close, some would switch to smoke free, and a few would remain as smoke bars. Hank is correct, a free market solution will work, given the proper amount of time.
Bars often have loud music playing, which can be damaging to the hearing of the patrons and staff, especially in the case of long term exposure, should we be looking to ban loud noises at bars as well? I have lived close to several bars over the years, and I can promise you that the noise can blead out into the neighborhood and be disruptive.
Banning everything that bothers us is not the solution to our problems. Morality and decision making can not be legislated. If you want live in a home that smoke free, that is fine, do so, but don’t come after me for smoking in mine (I don’t actually smoke, just making the point).
Hi Chris, if a bar is not following the smoking ban, where can they be reported?
Tim
the smoking ban is going to create an underground movement of private clubs, just like it did during prohibition in the 1920’s. That means more corruption in Chicago, not exactly what we need more of. And now where there was a place for smokers to go to let off steam and hang out, they will forced to stay at home w their families and smoke at home. Also, for all those idiots who compare this ban with states like California, first off, it’s much warmer there, secondly, most all the bars and music venues have patios w heatlamps and the temperature never drops below 45. There are no patios and outside areas at venues in Chicago like Double Door, no heatlamps, and the temp drops to below 0 ! This law SUCKS!
Just a quick update:
Here is a link to the Hearland Institute’s (National not for profit reasearch group that has a focus on free market solutions to world issues) Position on the Ban:
Some of the points, are opinion based, but it is worth a look:
http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=11386
Thanks so much for taking the time to checkout the site and for everyone’s thoughtful replies.
Tim - I don’t know any specifics, but if you cal 311 from inside Chicago, that will give you the non-emergency city services. I expect you can report any issues to them.
The clock is ticking down so we’ll see if there’s any kind of revolt as this takes affect. I don’t really see it as the same as prohibition, but I can appreciate the slippery slope. Myself, I am still happy that the ban is going to be in place.
-Chris
Smokers are the most selfish and arrogant human beings. I can’t wait to see their knees shaking when smoking outside during the long and cold Chicago winters. God bless the smoking ban law.
Hi Chris,
I totally agree with you and I think it should go a step further! I think that alcohol is disgusting and it should have bans placed on it too. Just as secondhand smoke causes cancer in people who don’t smoke, drunk drivers kill people who don’t drink. Cigarettes cause cancer, alcohol causes liver problems. It’s ALL bad!
What this smoking law does/says is that you are still allowed to smoke and pay taxes on those cigarettes, however, you are not allowed to impose your disgusting habit on others. I SAY SAME WITH ALCOHOL! You should be free to buy it for consumption at your own home (as long as you are 21) and you should be free to pay taxes on it , however, you must consume it in your own home away from the public keep your disgusting drinking habit off the roads and away from children and people who are smart enough to not drink!!
Restaurants are for eating..not getting liquored up! Bars should be closed down just like all these hookah bars are going to be forced to shut down with the smoking ban! Nightclubs are for dancing and seeing bands/performances..not drinking!
Prohibition didn’t work, but if you apply all the rules that this smoking ban
has to alcohol WE CAN SAVE LIVES! We will save lives by forcing these disgusting smokers outside and DISGUSTING DRINKERS inside!
Alcohol smells, it causes people to fight, bars cause noise violations in neighborhoods, drunks pee in alleys, and of course drunk drivers (especially this time of year) kill millions of people! If people want to be a disgusting booze-hounds do it at their house and let me enjoy my nice quiet dinner at my favorite restaurant! Everything this smoking ban promotes can be applied to liquor and I think it’s time that this city wakes up!
Truthguy -
I appreciate the point you are trying to make - and I do think that we should at least be enforcing the drinking laws that we already have in place. You are right, there are far too many people driving drunk, and an unacceptable amount of people are killed by drunk drivers every day. If drunks were forced to take a taxi rather than drive home from the bars, a lot of lives would be saved.
I will point out that the hookah bars will likely LOVE the new smoking ban. See, there is an exemption for business that make more than 80% of their revenue from the sale of tobacco - but they must be in business prior to January 1, 2008. This means that the existing hookah bars will likely see an influx in business, and they will have a bit of a monopoly.
-Chris
Hi Chris,
It’s going to be really interesting to see what happens when people are standing outside smoking 15 feet from any entrance, exit, or window. A lot of neighborhood taverns (including the one I work at in Wicker Park) already have neighbor issues regarding noise, and after Jan 1 people will be outside until 2,3,4,and sometimes 5 am talking loudly and littering the neighborhood. It won’t just be smokers, it will be smokers friends too. (I know a bunch of women who come to the bar who can’t even seem to go to the bathroom alone!)
[giggle]
We already have problems at the end of the night getting people to stop loitering outside, and now this new law forces them out there all night long.They’ve made the laws easier for neighbors to shut down “problem establishments” and I certainly think this is going to be a big problem.
I guess I just want to remind everyone that if you like your neighborhood bar, you smoke, and it’s located near lot’s of neighbors try to keep quiet….and if you hate smoking and are happy that this ban is in effect, then try to realize that you are going to have to put up with some extra noise and litter in order to get your “clean indoor air”.
Good Lord! I’m counting the days until spring when our neighbors windows start to open up and my bar gets shut down because the people next door don’t like all the extra noise coming from it.
I think the biggest thing we can all look forward to after this smoking ban takes effect is a drop off of cool,little, privately owned, bars and a big rise in corporate bars that can afford to fight noise violations in court. This isn’t New York or L.A…this is Chicago and people who move into trendy areas with a lot of bars (such as Wicker or Lincoln park) like to keep their property values high…and a noisy bar next door…well you get my point.
The Strawberry Girl
Hank — The day I can get cancer, asthma and stinky clothes from you sitting next to me eating your Big Mac and fries is the day I’ll worry about a Big Mac ban. I think the faulty logic in your analogy is pretty obvious.
And to those who criticize the government’s involvement in what a business owner does in his or her private business . . . Can a restaurant owner serve rotten food laced with salmonella? Can a restaurant owner force his employees to work 60 hours a week for a dollar an hour? Can a restaurant owner choose to serve only people of a certain race, ethnic group or gender? Can a restaurant owner choose to host pistol duels as the Friday-night entertainment?
No, of course not. There are plenty of examples of “the government” getting involved in private business. I’m not saying we should have a socialist state, and I agree that often local, state and the federal government go too far with their interference, but I believe most people will agree that one of the responsibilities of government is to protect the public good. I am not looking for a debate here over the proper balance between individual rights and the well-being of the group — or where your rights end and mine begin. Those issues are far too deep and complex to resolve on a blog. But we need to remember that living in a “free country” requires some boundaries on those freedoms.
And Chris, thanks for starting the thread . . . less than 36 hours until B-Day (a.k.a. Breathing Day). Happy New Year!
that is such a lame argument comparing smoking allowed in a restaurant with serving rotten food. are you serious? restaruants should be allowed to have designated areas for smokers, the health risk is about as unhealthy as it is when you drive your SUV sending your exhaust fumes into the lungs of millions of people, animals, plants, etc..wait no we need cars not smoking because we say so? cause we are so pompus and full of ourselves that we feel the need to screw with the lives of smokers cause we don’t like it or like to even look at it? let’s not forget all the mom and pop businesses in Chicago that will suffer and close up because of your lame ass self indulgent smoking ban. WAKE UP PEOPLE!
Thanks to everyone for keeping the comments going, we’ve been getting a lot of action on this post.
About 24 till this kicks in. Let us know if you have any personal experiences with the ban on New Years Eve…
-Chris
Ok, whoa, just for a quick reality check here, did anyone happen to read that post by truthguy? Who the hell let that lunatic get on a computer without taking his medication? And it’s subsequent response? Is that what kind of forum this is? Should I ever come here again…
Chris, I don’t expect you to post this, and I’ll be impressed if you do, but what kind of a response was that? The idea is not to humor the infirm so you can gain posts on your blog.
If I may quote our aptly-named Truthguy for laying down the cold, hard facts, in case any of you might have come up with some convoluted ideas:
“Restaurants are for eating..not getting liquored up! Bars should be closed down just like all these hookah bars are going to be forced to shut down with the smoking ban! Nightclubs are for dancing and seeing bands/performances..not drinking!
Sounds like the battle chant of fascism by a little man with a gun in his hand. I can hear him chuckling as he re-reads his post. Who is he, the dictionary enforcer? Where the hell did this guy grow up? In a prison? Do you “agree with the point he is trying to make” there, Chris? I always thought nightclubs were for doing blow in a stall, buying $11 drinks to make up for the fact that you’re not drinking, and going home with girls who wear too much makeup and strong perfume. But hey, if you just want to dance and be sober, well, pony up, sir, that’s fine, too. Go scare the girls on the right side of the dance floor, please. There isn’t a rational person in the world who would further that conversation after our master of logic dumped that stinker on the table. Man, you’ve got to screen this shit if you want to have any reputation in this field.
Like all good Americans, I welcome and accept opposing opinions, especially in an anonymous public forum, it is the spirit of democracy transformed modern, but that swill you posted by truthguy was the rambling of someone who should put some pants on, take off the ball-gag and get out of the basement.
I think more relevant issue to pose here is this:
Is this ban constitutional?
I feel that it isn’t, but the fact that a positive health issue (the reduction of public smoking) is associated with the law keeps this aspect from gaining any momentum. We’ve seen this with trans-fats in New York City. I don’t doubt that someone will eventually get to work on high-fructose corn syrup. This is a tangled issue, with both health and rights at stake. Where do we draw the line? What is the line? Where do we stand on being a city where there are bars that allow smoking and bars that don’t?
Alright, Chris, let’s see what you’ve got.
Best,
-Paul
To breathe: Ya I get it! I’m some kind of industrialist sweat shop owner spreading poison across chicagoland, forcing underage girls to take jobs that expose them to the dreaded second hand poison for a mere $300 dollars a night in tips!….. Why is it so hard for you non smokers (which I am one) to figure out that we are doing quite well without you! If things that dont bother my clientele or my employees bother you…DONT COME IN…TURN THE CHANEL!!! This is not a referendum, this is individual politicians doing things that effect us all for their own political gain. If it was a public health issue the law would read that as an owner I would have to provide enough air cleaning to bring the quality of the air inside to that of the air outside.(basic OSHA stuff which can be done with ease for the right amount of $$$) As far as you and your Big-Mac are concerned, as soon as you get a whistle blower to come forth saying that there are added ingredients that can be proven to be addictive in your Macdonalds its over! If you think that obesity is not a public health issue, I would encourage you to take a road trip down south sometime and park for an hour out side a Wall-mart, it may open your eyes. Let me be clear; I do not advocate banning fast food, adult book stores or “toy” stores, gas guzzling suv’s, bad cologne, loud motorcycles, bad music, literature or art work. I dont believe in the seat belt or helmet law for adults. This is a matter of personal choice and a free market pure and simple. If there were enough non smokers that wanted to enjoy their night life smoke free, guys like me would be exploiting that for money and there would be smoke free neighborhood bars without all this big brother crap. The fact is there aren’t. Thats why they wont put this to a popular vote.
Again just my $.02
Please enjoy your Sterile smoke free bar experience responsibly this New Years eve!
For all of you supporting this ban and citing CA as an example of a state with a successful smoking ban, you have no clue that CA still has thousands of bars that allow smoking. The CA law was written to protect bar workers, but an exemption was made for owner-run establishments, so the owners put the bar staff on the business title as co-owners to go around the law. If I feel like having a smoke with a drink in SF, I’ll go to the Voodoo Lounge on the corner of Van Ness & Lombard. There’s another one on Geary. If a cop or enforcement clown cites me for smoking, I’ll just tell him or her I have no ID, or just say “no comprende Ingles, Senor” or “nie rozumiem po Angielsku, pan”. (For all of you anti-smoking middle managers from Kalamazoo who have invaded Chicago, those are the languages spoken in the other 90% of the City of Chicago and its neighborhood taverns.)
Time to take the booze away from the non-smokers who will be left at the few remaining neighborhood bars. You people are ludicrously hypocritical for banning smoking but advocating drinking, which causes far, far more death, destruction, and social problems than tobacco. In any event, the effects of second hand smoke cited above is hilarious propaganda that is a corruption of the US Govt.’s own unbiased and massively-sampled data. Lawsuits alleging damage in US Federal Court, from second-hand smoke were thrown out because of the twisted statistics. Tell us, where is the major decline in illness and death from second-hand smoke in states having smoking bans for a decade? The numbers should have shown up by now! We’re all waiting!
I see that there are some new comments and some directed towards me - I don’t have time to read everything thoroughly right now, I’ve been traveling all day and I’m headed out for New Years Eve… so I will read everything through on Jan 1.
I hope everyone has a good holiday.
-Chris
i just found out about the ban on your blog….YIPPEE. i will now be coming to chicago for a visit in march.
This sucks… I have been smoking for 22 years and I enjoy it. You that don’t smoke, lets try this on for size, do you wear cologone or perfume?? well guess what, when I go into a department store and that one female or male that walks by me smells like they have taken a bath in the perfume, I start to gag and have to leave the store, my throat starts to swell (THIS ALSO HAPPENS TO MY TWO DAUGHTERS WHO DON’T SMOKE AND ISN’T CAUSED BY SMOKING) SO DO WE BAND PERFUME NEXT???? I don’t do drugs…. I go out drinking once a month with my husband and friends, we spend about 700.00 each month at the bar, WE WON’T BE BACK… I don’t drink without smoking… Lets talk about this in depth, smoking is LEGAL… How many of you go to the bars and think oh I’m sober enough to DRIVE when your not and u do it anyway, you are breaking the law… Smokers weren’t breaking the law until the NONSMOKERS decided they didn’t do it, so why should anyone else….. Just wait until they pass a law that effects you and they will, that is the way this goverment works…. I own a business and I struggle everyday to compete with national companies and this just adds to the decline I will have in my business…I will continue to smoke in public, write a ticket…. For all of u that don’t smoke and think this is a GREAT IDEA…I hope u don’t ever show up to my business, because I’m affraid to say your prices just doubled, if u will even beable to get service…. HAVE A GREAT 2008 and STILL SMOKING…..THIS COUNTRY SELLS YOU THE SMOKES SAYS YES ITS LEGAL DO THIS INSTEAD OF DRUGS AND THEN AFTER THEY HAVE YOU HOOKED THEY SAY WAIT MRS NONSMOKER DOESN’T LIKE IT NOW YOU CAN ONLY SMOKE IN YOUR HOME….WHAT A COUNTRY…MAKES ME SO F—— PROUD….
why is it that no one ever looks at the fact that smoking does not require you to attend a meeting for a disease that causes you to lose your home….job…..family….as alcohol does?……and is it me or did I miss the part where waiters/waittress’ and bartenders cannot change jobs if smoking bothers them so much……and when did servers have to go to college and make that there profession……sorry I just see this as another step in the goverment controlling the lives of the people….I so agree with KLS on so many aspects of this and I also would like to lodge a complain against colognes and perfumes as they cause me to have severe migraines……where is my protection on that??????
I’m new to this, but after reading all the comments, I opted to add mine. I am an ex-smoker. I smoked for 15 years, and have been quit for over 20. However, as some of the other contributors have said, I believe this is a freedom and individual rights issue. I do not support this ban on smoking. I believe we all should have the right to make our choices and either live or die with them. For those who will reply that a person’s choice has no right to injure another, you are right. You have the right to not patronize any business of your choosing, thereby not breathing second-hand smoke. I don’t frequent them either. My choice. Your choice.
I have the right to not have someone smoke in my home. I have the right to not patronize an establishment if I find the atmosphere objectionable. Business owners have the right to designate their establishments as smoking or non-smoking. If there is enough of a demand, there will be non-smoking restaurants (there are plenty now) and non-smoking clubs. If there is money to be made, someone will do it. (always the bottom line)
I see this new law, as others have pointed out, as yet another example of the decline of our inalienable rights (the right of choice as to how to live my life) and another move closer to a policed state of government.
Why was this law enacted? The easy answer is because no one stopped it. If enough people create a loud enough voice, the politicians will listen. Why? Because in the end analysis, they want to retain their positions with the guaranteed benefits such as lifetime health care insurance and hefty pensions all paid by you, the taxpayers. So, if enough people are angry and fatigued with the continuing stripping of your personal freedoms, why haven’t you created a cohesive group to make your voices heard? If the politicians sense their monies are in jeopardy, they will listen. To those who will reply, “why haven’t I started a grass roots campaign?” the answer is some of us are born to be leaders, and some are born to be followers. Without the followers, there would be no leaders. I may have missed rhetoric on this subject, but I am surprised the ACLU hasn’t gotten involved.
Again, my position if freedom of choice. To smoke or not to smoke. To frequent establishments of my choice. To allow or not allow smokers in my non-smoking space. It should also be the business owner’s choice and freedom how they want to run their businesses. My choice, my freedoms. Everyone’s choice, everyone’s freedoms. What has occurred with the enactment of this law is the stripping of yet another one of everyone’s rights. The right of free choice.
I appreciate my right to be able to voice my opinion. Let’s hope that won’t be the next freedom to be taken away.
I moved to Denver from Chicago about 7 months ago, and I’m a craptastic smoker. I was initially concerned about the smoking ban in public places in Denver when we moved out here. Actually, I’m relieved that smoking is banned in public places here. I smoke, but I recognize that it’s a disgusting habit, and I don’t want to be surrounded by smoke constantly when I go out. Also, I smoke less! If I need to light up, I’ll go outside, but I probably smoke about 1/4 as much as I did when I’d go out in Chicago.
While this ban won’t have much of an affect on established nightclubs or Lincoln Park bars, it will hurt the local neighborhood bars. I can’t imagine the WebPub, Fuller’s, Czar Bar or any other working stiff joint actually complying with this regulation.
Ok….I’m waiting!!!
The smoking ban took affect on Jan1st, so I wasn’t expecting any business on Tuesday night. But there were only THREE people at my bar on Wednesday night.(Usually one of our biggest nights)Yes..of course all three of them were praising the ban, but what good does that do me? Three people do not pay the bills.
You wanted “clean indoor air”…you got it!!!
Now it’s time for all you non-smokers who said that you would come out more once there was no smoking indoors to COME OUT MORE! Your local bar needs you NOW.
I’ll keep you posted about this weekend.
The Strawberry Girl
Ya me too!, We’re down 30-35% over the last two days compared to last year and the year before. Interestingly, everyone seems to be in a bad mood. Bartenders are getting stiffed and my door guy had to break up one potential fight outside. Come summertime I’m sure my once wonderful neighbors will be complaining about the noise outside. What a great idea; take the Jackasses out of the bar (where I can keep them under control) and put them on the street where I get “Screw you dude I’m on public property call a cop”
Thats great…….I hate this
I hope when you non smokers have to push your way through a crowd of drunk knuckle heads (who are outside smoking) to get into a bar this summer and one of them says something to your girl friend, you’ll remember as they put you in the squad car that this is your own doing
To all,
I have a place that is about 80% smokers (not an overstatement) and they are quite mad about this ban. I have lost smokers over the last few days who are really mad and would prefer to stay home than to support my shop. It is really unfortunate that I will go out of business unless I figure out some way to keep these customers. The thing about my shop is that it is all older folks that come in. The mean age is 45 (again not an overstatement.) and they like to smoke with their drinks and coffee. I will not say that smoking is good for you, (that would be as ignorant as people thinking it is ok that they are obese since they do not smoke) but their are many things bad for people that they still do. i will not go on a lengthy defense of the reasons people smoke as I know that the self righteous non- smokers will have plenty to say about it. I will say that prohibition of liquor did not work a long while back even though it was such a novel idea at the time. In hindsight though, we see everything in 20/ 20 vision. When taxes start to creep up in places the self righteous would never think to examine, such as their phone bills, they will never bring themselves to admit what a nice thing the smokers were doing keeping taxes low for so many years. The news will never show the truly negative effects these laws have, only the positive.
I hope less people smoke in the next generation, that would be awesome. But in the mean time, why does the small business who needs these types of niche crowds have to suffer through the changing times.
in Ireland, over 1000 pubs have closed because of the smoking ban. In Chicago, you are going to see even more bars closing up shop. This is the wrong way to go, if you don’t like smoke in bars and nightclubs then go somewhere else! there are plenty of places that do not allow smoking. Sorry but you just can’t have it your way everytime, that’s not how our country works or have you not read the CONSTITUTION? Once we all start losing our rights, there will be no place to go for any of us. Be careful what you wish for.
L.A. has had a smoking ban for a long time and it’s bars and restaurants only took a temporary hit.
Something that people have to remember, this isn’t about the patrons going to the bars and restaurants. This is about the people who work there. This is about the waitress, bartender, and barback who aren’t in the place for an hour or two but for full shifts. These people have the right to work in a safe workplace.
Sean, I have been to LA and it is a warm weather climate so it is not as affected by a smoking ban. I dont drive a car as I live downtown and I think its only fair that we have a no driving ban because the exhaust is affecting my health! Sounds ridiculous right? Well how far is to far. We live in a free country and have the right to choose. Police officers get shot at every day, its part of the job, they are adults and chose that profession. The workers in a bar are adults and knew what came with the job when they started working there, when is big brother looking out for us to much. No more swearing on pay tv? No more nudity in movies? Who decides? We are all adults and choose what we will and will not do. Do you work in a bar? Probably not and I don’t either. But I do choose to have a cigarette or 2 when I go out to a BAR. Not a restaurant or anywhere else but A BAR. Police and firefighters also have the right to work in a safe place so when you go out and catch ALL the criminals and stop ALL the fires then I’ll stop smoking. Until then I live in America and will smoke in my bar until I decide to stop.
I am a smoker, and I am for the ban in places such as restaurants … I mean who wants to eat with smoke every where and crawling on their food? I however think that the ban went a little far and takes over a smoker’s right. Yes, a non-smoker does have to right to clean lungs and fresh air … but is there not another way? such as closed off areas or specific smoking bars? I just think its ridiculous that I can buy them, but I cant smoke them. I guess Im on the fence about this, I dont like my things smelling like smoke, I do not smoke in my condo nor my car … and I never smoked around my non-smoker friends unless we were at the bars. I guess we’ll just have to head to the burbs until it warms up …
Wish we could Katie, but its the Illinois smoking ban. No smoking anywhere in the state. Check out this link and see whats next. Give em an inch and they’ll take a mile. Like I said in my last post. How far is to far. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22559988?gt1=10755
You know- I can’t wait till they ban alcohol & drinking (drunk drivers, public nuisance, mental anguish from drunks who harass other customers, bar fights, fetal alcohol syndrome, & liver disease) , cellphones (accidents /nuisance), loud noise (including planes, cars, concerts- because it hurts my ears), cars (smog), SUVS (smog & lack of gas to feed the monster) cameras (privacy), anyone considered a freak, free speech, blogs (incite violence and/or threaten the American way of life), bars, every other freedom we claim to have here in the United States (the smoking ban and many other of our bans are similar to the bans in Cuba). If smoking bothers you so much- stay home- no one asked you to breathe in the air , you made the choice to be there. As a non-smoker, its my choice to show up whenever & wherever I want. As a business owner, it should be my choice to state if I want smoking or non-smoking. I would prefer to make it totally smoking: ABSOLUTELY NO NON_SMOKING AT ALL- do you know why I can’t choose? Businesses who would choose to go non-smoking would make a lot less than me!!! It’s my own private business- why can’t I choose. If you do not like the way you smell when you leave a place which allows smoking- STAY HOME, go some where NON-SMOKING, believe me I’d prefer you never walk into my establishment in the first place- Smoker’s spend more and tip better (so say my staff & other surveys).And as for you “oh, its for your staff’s health”- if you don’t like working around smoke find another job. Go work in an office, for the state, in places where they have bans. This is why its called land of the Free- it’s not called “LAND OF THE FREE (unless its been banned in your state)” It is your choice to work their- it’s not enslaved labor- if you don’t like a policy leave the job and find a new one. But what would be know about free- some one should tally every freedom we’ve lost in the last 10 years. And as for Elaine, Deb, Chris & Liz- if you don’t like the smoke why did you go all the time? Why not go to the many NON-smoking places in Chicago and the Burbs?
Beyond all my concerns about the systemic attack on our civil liberties, I too am very concerned about the negative effects this will have on local businesses. I really like that my neighborhood has its character and local bars. I’m not a smoker, and like the bar owners on here have been suggesting, I don’t go to the bars as often as my smoking friends, and I probably do spend less while I am there. That being said, I’d still like the bars to be there when I go out, and more to the point, I’d like to see the lively crowd that I’ve come to know and love still there.
For all of you that complain about the smell of smoke on your clothing, wake up, everything we choose to do has consequences. If you go to the lake to watch the sail boats, you might get a little seawater smell about you. You eat in at Mcdonalds and you may very well pick up a greasy french fry odor (seriously). You go to a loud concert, your ears might ring for a awhile.
So let’s see now what happens as the temperature drops below 0! I have an idea, ban the BAN!
You know there is a loophole to the law.
You can have smoking in your establishment if it makes 80% of its revenues from the sale of tobacco.
All that needs to happen then are bars and clubs rent or buy the properties next door to their venues, file it as a separate business name and license, and open it as a tobacco shop with a smoker’s lounge in it.
THEN…put a door between the bar/club and the tobacco shop. So now they can make money selling smokes to customers and totally bypass the law.
Frankly, I quit smoking a while ago, even before the ban was passed. What annoys me about it is the idea of the MINORITY trying to tell the MAJORITY how to live their lives. I remember when some venues tried to go smoke free back in the 90s. They all failed. Guess that was the market talking. Even when the ban was just going to be Cook County, you saw the fears of lost revenues and unfair marketplaces because some suburbs were planning on never passing a ban so they can draw nightlife business to them. How fair a marketplace is that now to tell them they can’t use the edge at their discretion?
I also wonder now how much revenues the government will lose now that people will be quitting and/or smoking less. Guess that means gas will go up in price, as well as our property taxes. In fact, I have one colleague who is a smoker saying if he can’t smoke now in so many places…he wants all the tax dollars he’s paid per pack back and the taxes on tobacco lifted.
If the bartenders, waitresses, and other employees want to be in a smoke-free environment, then they can quit, get an education, and get a real job. You do jobs like bartending, waitressing, and such…second hand smoke comes with it.
I personally hope we see the police running around weekly breaking up drunken fights in front of venues between smokers. I hope to see more places go belly up when many patrons either stop coming or come less. I hope the downtown area becomes a shell of its former self and then Daley moans how there isn’t any entertainment revenues coming in to the city…and conventions move to states that choose not to pass a ban.
I’d like to stand outside a bar and ask everyone who comes in and out if they really want a smoking ban…as well as find all those people who marched on City Hall to get the ban passed, and find out if they are going to bars, clubs, and such like they said they would if a ban is passed.
I really like being able to go into a bar that has fresh and clean air to breathe. To bad theres nobody in there to enjoy it with. I am a regular bar goer who only smokes when I am having a beer and all the BARS that I frequent, and I mean BARS/Taverns, not restaurants that serve beer have lost business. I went out with a few friends to enjoy some football and a beer on Sat. and there was nobody out! A large sportsbar with approx. capacity of about 400 and there were 3 people there. Why even bother, we grabbed some beer and went to my house where I have a large plasma and HDTV and stayed in. Why go out if theres nobody else there? Bars are losing more and more money daily, bartenders and waitresses are getting their hours cut or laid off completely. Some are already talking about closing their doors. These are businesses that have been there for 30 or 40 years and have made it through recessions and other problems, but because the governor has chosen for us now they are going out of business. What happened to freedom and our right to choose? We are adults going to an adult establishment that is private property! Shouldnt the business owners have the right to choose? At least give us the right to vote on it. Everyone I know, smoker or not feels the same way! They feel their rights as Americans have been trampled on. Whats next?
We drove around Chicago’s ‘hot spots’ last Friday night around 11p to see how many people were actually going out to the bars. In Wrigleyville, we noticed only 2 bars that were packed, the rest (20+) were empty, I mean EMPTY! All across the northside, from Irving Park to Ashland to Broadway to Clark St, all we saw were empty bars, maybe 4 to 6 people in them (4 would be out in the cold smoking) I grew up in Chicago, and most of these bars would be at the very least have patrons sitting around the full bar. Chicago’s nightlife (esp. in winter) is about going out to the bars / nightclubs to ESCAPE the COLD! So all you non-smokers, where are you???
Ok, so here’s a few things I feel I need to say.
All of you who oppose this ban, non-smoker or smoker, much respect to you for trying to make these idiots realize that our civil liberties as Americans are being stripped away! Tobacco is legal, perfectly legal to anyone over the tender age of 18. Going to a bar/club/tavern to consume alcohol is something you can’t do until you’re 21 (legally of course). Now, isn’t it strange that one must be older to purchase the item that hasn’t been banned?
Now it just might be me, but I think all you Winoes have had 1 too many. Why don’t you just jump into your SUV’s (awe crap, those pollute the air a lot too…damn we’re gonna have to ban those as well) and start a new non-smoking city in Montana. There ya go, “Big Sky” can be all yours. And trust me…those who don’t support the ban, aren’t going to miss you one bit.
I’m going to try to pass the ban on 2nd hand driving now! Yup, you heard it here first folks. Your SUV pollutes more than my little Toyota Celica, and I don’t like that. Also, it gets worse MPG’s as well, and that’s not good for anyone. So kiss your piece of $hit Suburban/Durango/Tahoe/Hummer good bye.
Over the recent weeks, I went to 2 different casinos (also places known for many smokers to reside) to see the difference between them. One was the Grand Victoria in Elgin, and the other was Pottawatomie in Milwaukee. Both casinos were visited on a Saturday night at around 11PM. I have been to both establishments on that day and at that time before the ban as well. I, without a doubt noticed a decrease in patrons at Grand Victoria. I even asked a pit boss if things were just unusually slow this evening, and she commented “no, it’s been like this for the last couple of weeks.” Hmm, and considering the ban had been in effect for a couple weeks by then, it makes sense. Then my journey to Pottawatomie took place the following weekend, same day, same time. The place was PACKED. I could hardly find parking. I was on the roof of the parking garage!!! That place was jumpin like you’d never believe, and boy did I ever see a bunch of IL license plates all over! Once inside, I could tell that the crowd there was much larger than usual…and yes, there were smokers all over. Free at last to chose for themselves, along with the non-smokers. Once again I asked someone who worked there if it was just an unusually busy night, and he replied “not at all, it’s been very solid like this for at least 3 weeks or so.” I kindly asked him if he thought it had anything to do with the smoking ban in IL, and he reassured me that “it probably has something to do with it” and that “many people who gamble happen to smoke as well, both can be addictive things.”
So there ya go, even more tax dollars for the state, being lost to another thanks to the smoking ban.
Man, I love to hate Illinois some times. All you anti everything people make me sick!! Thank God I still have the NRA to protect my RIGHT to bear arms in this country!!!!
And for all you men that support this ban…grow some balls! What kind of men are you anyway? Look at guys like John Wayne and James Dean. Men that are still icons today. They smoked…but did we hold it against them? Hell no, they are who they are b/c of us!! All you gay and metrosexual a-holes always need to have things your way…or you’ll just cry about it.
Well…start cryin…b/c I’m just startin to get pissed. This isn’t some Constitutional law, so hell if I won’t fight it!!
GetBent269 -
Did you go to two different casinos for the purpose of doing research?
The metrosexuals cry when they don’t get things their way? Sure sounds like the smokers are crying now.
How do you plan to fight the smoking ban?
-Chris
I am a smoker of 10 years, and a blue collar guy. I will not try and sit here and say that smoking is glamorous, good for my own health or anyone elses around me. However, when I am in company whether it be at home, in my car, or at a friends house, I do not smoke if they do not approve. Every single one of you non smoking tree hugging, starbucks coffee drinkers would have a absolute hissy fit if they banned your laptop use at starbucks, banned your pinot grigio at your favorite restaurant, and took away your gas guzzling suv’s.
There are many many things about being in the general public that offend me, and are health risks. How about the guy preparing your poptbelly sandwich who has hepatitis or just got done taking a $hit and doesnt wash his hands? Or while you are out riding on your trek mtn bike sucking in fumes from the cta busses and suvs belching out carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons? Or the thousands and thousands of people who get killed by drunk drivers?
We have a choice to go to a asian, italian, greek, american, french restaurants etc, as we have a choice to go to a bar that plays jazz music, or a night club filled with 22 years old pounding ectasy and vodka like its the last night of their lives. You had a choice to go into that smoke filled bar, and guess what, you chose a good time at that bar, rather than going home and stting next to your honeywell air purifer and sipping mountain spring water. I keep hearing about second hand smoke dangers, etc, well, nobody put a gun to your head and made you stay in that tavern, or eat at that restaurant. I feel for the bar/restaurant owners who are suffering from this, but what would make me feel so much better, is the look on you liberal tree huggers when your favorite sushi bar gets shut down, and you are sitting at home whining just as I am now, since I can no longer go to my favorite restaurant/bar and enjoy myself, becuase some politicians decided that they know whats best for the general public.
You had a option not to put yourself in a position to inhale second hand smoke, but that wasnt good enough. I would like to see more people quit smoking, and watch the tobacco industry in this county go down the toilet. when that happens, I cant wait to see the look on your faces when the government taxes your coffee, your imported seafood, your gasoline, and slaps a giant luxury tax on your new BMW to make up for the huge loss in tax revenue. We pay 7 dollars here in chicago for 1 pack of marlboros that cost about 30 cents to make. Where do you think that money goes to?
Now that all the crybabies and whiners of the government intrusion into our lives people, now have had their way with their anti-smoking campaign, where are they at? The pubs and bars are empty, there is no second-hand smoke, but also no customers, brilliant! Just brilliant. More people going on unemployment, higher taxes are coming, food stamps and welfare for the unemployed who used to work at these establishments who will be closing down for good. Thank you crybabies and whiners! If these crybabies and whiners were so concerned about the health patrons at bars and restaurants, second-hand smoke is not as deadly as AIDS, or other deadly diseases that food handlers and servers might possibly have, why wasn’t that brought up by these whiners or the medical community, i tell you why, Political Correctness, they did not want to offend the gay community, but that’s ok, they don’t care if you contract AIDS, and die, but you won’t die from second-hand smoke! Idiots!
yes i hate smokers cause i have asthma
Yes, and I hate stairs because I have a bad knee. And I hate loud music because I have sensitive hearing. Im gonna start a petition to ban loud music in bars and clubs.
I am coming to Chicago tomorrow and it is going to suck. Last time I was there 2 years ago (and lived there for 5 years - 10 years ago) we could all go out and have fun. Now the city is going to suck.
Hey Timmy, here is a great place to start to fight the smoking ban. Go to http://www.banthebanwisconsin.com
they are there for you too!
I’m a smoker, originally from New York City, where the smoking ban hit just as I was old enough to buy my own cigarettes and I presently live in New Orleans, where smoking was banned in all places where food is the primary source of revenue [but not in bars or casinos where it would kill business rapidly].The bartenders at my job were delighted when the ban went into effect here because their section was also the smoking area and they all happen to be non-smokers. They are not anti-smoking whiners mind you, but non-smokers and they have every right to work through a shift without having to breathe it in and reek of it when they leave.
I stumbled upon this entry because I am moving to Chicago in June and I was curious about the city’s smoking laws. I was actually rather surprised that Chicago is playing so late in the smoking ban game and doubly surprised by the response of the smoking crybabies who are drawing secondhand smoke comparisons to wine with dinner and the contraction of AIDS [wtf?]. You have every right to smoke, but the person standing next to you has every right not to smell it. Everyone will bitch for 6-8 months, businesses will take a hit for a bit, everyone will realize it’s not the end of the world, and things will go back to normal. The city will not suck. Bars will still be fun. You will still smoke.
Fact is, smoking bans are simply inconveniences for smokers, just like choosing to go out in a smoking-allowed establishment and going home smelling like smoke is an inconvenience to non-smokers. The people who have more to lose than a simple inconveneice are the small business owners, who are being told that they cannot allow the use of a legal substance on their privately-owned property.
By attacking ‘disgusting’ smokers as your reason for supporting smoking bans, you are allowing the ’smoker hate’ propaganda and emotion to override your logic. The fact remains that no one is forced by the end of a gun to enter an establishment that allows smoking. You have a choice (well, you did). But now the government and the smoke-free folks have convinced you that you’re too stupid to make that choice on your own. Again, you are allowing your distaste for smoking to override your sense of logic.
The market has responded to the demand for smoke-free establishments. Patrons and employees have more of a choice than ever as to which sort of smoking environment they’ll frequent or work in. Being able to smoke in a restaurant is becoming a thing of the past WITHOUT state-mandated bans simply because the public has overwhelmingly supported it. Business owners are in business to make money, so they will do whatever it takes to bring in more business. If they believe that going smoke-free will boost their bottom-line, they’ll go smoke-free. If they believe it will harm their business, they will continue to provide an environment where grown adults can enjoy this vice.
Smoking bans will never ’save’ anyone. You can only save yourself, and to insinuate that the government knows what’s best for you and should therefore dictate by the end of a gun that a private business owner cannot allow the use of a legal product in their establishment is draconian, tyrannical, and oppressive.
One more thing…
Government adding one more hurdle to small business owners’ profitability in this economy is irresponsible and condemnable. It also sends the message that government is more concerned with telling us how to live our lives than they are with taking care of the real threats to our society; that being the loss of jobs, high gas prices, true criminal activity, and illegal immigration. They marginalize the true threats while concentraing on banning activity that aren’t threats at all, while at the same time creating criminals of otherwise law-abiding citizens.
These idiots can’t find a way to round up illegals…how do they imagine they’ll enforce smoking bans?
Smoking bans are a diversion to make us believe that government is actually doing their job. Little do they realize that there are a lot more intelligent Americans out there who refuse to allow their emotions to dictate their logic.
Choose to live free. Ban the ban.
http://www.banthebanwisconsin.com
Joey-
Thanks for your comments and thanks for stopping by Chicago Hot Blog. You’re welcome to leave your link there.
All I have to say about the smoking ban has been said in the post and comments above.
-Chris
I live in the UK where a non smoking ban in public places came in to being in July 2007 - bar trade is suffering and many are closing. I thought that the USA was the land of the free. The anti-smoking Nazis are everywhere and here the Gestapo enforce the law. Where is the freedom of choice? The non-smoking zealots want it all there own way.
What next?
Think of Germany in the 1930’s.
Further to the above, I am coming to Chicago with my wife on the 20 May for a week. I hope I enjoy my stay!
As a restaurant and tavern business broker in the Chicago area, I have observed that the smoking ban has hurt business owner revenue. Some businesses in the food and beverage niche have been forced to sell as a result of direct and indirect taxation, such as the Illinois smoking ban.