Smoking ban remains a burning issue

Rob Winner - rwinner@kcchronicle.com St. Charles resident and smoker Fran McCormick exhales while smoking a cigarette outside of Li'l Jim's Tavern in St. Charles this past weekend.

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As the owner of Geneva’s oldest restaurant, Bob Arbizzani said he couldn’t be happier with the statewide smoking ban.

Since the ban went into effect a year ago this month, Arbizzani said he no longer hears complaints from non-smokers and doesn’t have to scrub nicotine off the walls of The Little Owl Restaurant and Flagstone Pub.

And the former smoker of 30-plus years said he is not faced with what used to be a constant temptation to light up alongside smokers at the bar.

“I quit a year before the ban, and it’s helped me quit. Once I knew no one else would be in the bar smoking, there were not as many temptations,” Arbizzani said, adding that “believe it or not, the ban has actually helped our business.”

But, Arbizzani acknowledges that some establishments, specifically those that serve alcohol, but not food, might have been hit hard by the ban that was designed to improve health conditions.

Before the Smoke-Free Illinois Act, which prohibits smoking in all public buildings and within 15 feet of entrances, went into effect on Jan. 1, 2008, bars, restaurants and casinos voiced concern that the law would lose them money.

‘A pain in the butt’

Amy Nunn, club director for the St. Charles VFW, said it has experienced a decrease in patrons and revenue since the ban went into effect last year.

“We are probably down over 20 percent,” Nunn said. “Our bar is downstairs and we don’t have any place for people to go smoke ... People don’t want to stand outside when it’s 20 degrees to go smoke.”

Nunn said she wishes Illinois’ law would have mimicked other states that allow owners of businesses that sell more alcohol than food to make their own decision on whether to go smoke-free.

“I keep waiting for that flood of non-smokers to come in and patronize the VFW,” Nunn said. “It’s not happening.”

On a recent and chilly night in St. Charles, Fran McCormick and Moira Brand stood outside Li’L Jim’s Tavern to smoke. Like many bars these days, the tavern’s parking lot and entrance area was scattered with cigarette butts.

“The bottom line is it’s a pain in the butt,” said McCormick, a St. Charles resident.

Freedom vs. regulation

While McCormick and Brand, a West Chicago resident, agreed that business owners should be given the choice, McCormick did say the ban has decreased her smoking habit.

“People ought to have their own choice,” Brand said. “If a bar wants to ban smoking, that’s up to them, but this law violates our civil rights by not even letting anyone make their own decision.”

Sen. Chris Lauzen, R-Aurora, voted against the Smoke-Free Illinois Act.

“I figured we needed more freedom than government,” Lauzen said, explaining that while he is not a smoker and doesn’t particularly enjoy the smell while dining, he believes the choice should have been given to the people.

Lauzen estimates that when the legislation was pending, 80 to 90 percent of the feedback he received was in opposition. He noted that casinos have been particularly hurt by the ban.

The Illinois Casino Gaming Association has reported that the state’s nine casinos have experienced a drop in revenue since the ban went into effect. And compared to casinos in neighboring states that have reported no difference or an increase, Lauzen said the only difference is Illinois’ smoking ban.

‘Keeping people healthier’

A recent study out of Colorado showed that workplace bans resulted in about a 40 percent drop in heart attack hospitalizations three years after smoking was banned.  

Maureen Obuchowski, Kane County’s health education coordinator, said the health department plans to track information to see whether statistics will show the ban has stopped people from smoking or has helped health conditions.

No citations have been handed out in Kane County, Obuchowski said, explaining that the health department has taken an educational approach instead. They go out to businesses to make sure they understand the law, she said.

Kelly Jakubek, a spokeswoman for the state health department, said it has received more than 5,000 complaints in the past year. That number does not include complaints that were made directly to county departments.

“Overall, we think the public and businesses are doing a very good job complying with the law,” Jakubek said. “Although there have been some challenges with enforcing the law, ultimately, we are keeping people healthier.”

Regardless of the rules or what some consider to be a lack of rules, Arbizzani said like all Illinois establishments, his Geneva restaurant is required to follow the law, which in this case, means banning smoking inside.

Once the ban was in place, Arbizzani made sure one of his employees at the Little Owl and Flagstone Pub was assigned the duty of cleaning up the cigarette butts that smokers left behind.

“I tell people that we still have a smoking section,” Arbizzani said. “It just happens to be outside.”