In January of 1990 Illinois took a step to reduce the amount of smoking in public buildings. Joan Weaver at the Illinois department of public health informed me of Illinois Clean Indoor Air Act. This act states that “tobacco smoke is annoying, harmful, and dangerous to human beings and a hazard to public health.” Joan also said that the act was not a huge step, but that it just restricted smoking inside mostly government buildings, retail stores, offices, indoor theaters, libraries, museums, and arenas. It also does not apply to factories or warehouses that are not frequently visited by the public

The opinion of the workers on what they thought should happen concerning passing a law banning smoking was important. They all had very strong views. Evon said, “I think it’s a bad idea. I’m a smoker and I feel I pay enough taxes for my cigarettes and I should be able to smoke them wherever I want.” Considering that the taxes on cigarettes just went up close to fifty cents, she understandably feels this way. Joann said, “I don’t think they should do anything like that. They like to make to many laws and ruin everyone’s fun. We should have the freedom to do what we want, where we want to do it.” Joan Weaver at the Department of Public Health totally disagrees with both of those answers. She says, “If someone wants to smoke that’s their business, but when everyone around them is being harmed that’s when it becomes the business of the government. We are just trying to keep people healthy. We don’t want to ruin anyone’s fun.”

Knowing that California is one of the few states that has already banned smoking in all public building and restaurants, I called a restaurant from the west coast that moved east. The California Pizza Kitchen in Schaumburg is a restaurant that does not allow smoking no matter what state they are in. The manager, Kristen, spoke about being a unique restaurant in this area. She said she doesn’t know of any other restaurants around here that prohibit smoking besides most of the fast food places. The president of California Pizza Kitchen won’t change the rules even though his restaurants are expanding. Kristen said “ It’s a big law in California and we just kept it the same way when it opened out here.” She was asked if she felt they might get less business because people have other restaurant choices that permit smoking and her reply was, “When a group comes in and asks for smoking and we inform them we don’t have a smoking section they just accept. A couple times they’ve changed their minds and gone somewhere else but usually they don’t mind.” Is the reason they don’t allow smoking in states that it is legal in is because that they feel it harms employees and other customers? When Kristen was asked that, she just said, “I don’t think that is the reason. I believe it is just because smoking is dangerous to everyone, even those who smoke. It’s also not pleasant to eat when someone’s blowing smoke in your face.” The last question for her was getting her option on Illinois passing a law that does not permit smoking in public buildings and restaurants. She thought it would be a good idea, but she said it might have a negative affect on the business of nightclubs and bars.

Patricia Wieczorek is a sixty-eight year old that says she can remember when cigarettes were sold in vending machines, and everybody smoked them. She too smoked them, until she had children. When she was asked where she prefers to sit when she goes out to eat she answered, “I tell them non-smoking. I think I’ve noticed the wait becoming longer for that section. That has to be a good thing because that means people aren’t smoking as much as they used to.” Pat was also asked, “If you are seated in smoking, but you are still near the smoke do you get upset?” Her answer was, “I do get upset. It doesn’t happen often, because usually the smoking section is at the other end of the restaurant. When it does happen and non-smoking is right next to smoking I think it’s disgusting. I don’t want to smell cigarettes while I’m eating.” The next question she was asked was, “Why did you quit smoking?” Pat answered, “I quit because with children it got to expensive. I didn’t have the extra money. Most people quit nowadays because they are afraid of getting cancer. If I knew that back then that probably would have been my reason too, but no one that smoked worried about things like cancer in the fifties.” The last question for Pat was, “How would you feel if Il

Some topics in this essay:
Bakers Square, Patricia Wieczorek, Caroline Fermuga, Nicole Mathias, Pizza Kitchen, Public Health, House Representatives, Bob Mathias, Diane Mathias, Linda Mitchell, smoking public, public buildings, smoking public buildings, passing law, illinois passing law, illinois passing, department public, people smoke, public health, smoking section, department public health, prohibit smoking, people don’t, illinois department public, smoking public buildings”,