New York pulled it off, and so did Boston.
Since 2002, more than 100 other places have accomplished what Chicago can’t seem to do: Pass a smoking ban.
Since Chicago aldermen first proposed an anti-smoking measure two years ago this month, 144 communities and eight states have passed laws to prohibit smoking in public places from restaurants to workplaces, according to a smoke-free advocacy group.
Meanwhile, news of Chicago’s proposed ordinance–initially a hot topic in the public eye–died down, and the measure lost momentum.
But the ban’s supporters say that although progress has appeared sluggish and no timeline has been established, they expect the measure to be successful.
The ban’s opponents say that the voluntary efforts of local restaurants are an effective way to please non-smokers without hurting business.
Ald. Ed Smith (28th), chairman of the City Council Health Committee, says that since the last public hearing on the proposal in 2003, he’s continued to meet with representatives from both sides of the issue, including health activists and restaurant owners.
“My concern is that I want to make sure everybody understands the intricacies of the ordinance. The only issue is the health issue,” Smith said. “I’m not impetuous with this thing. I’m going to do it, and I’m going to do it right.”
The current proposal–originally two separate plans from Smith and Ald. Edward Burke (14th)–would essentially ban smoking in all restaurants and bars.
Over the last two years, 49 U.S. municipalities passed laws that completely prohibit smoking in restaurants and bars, as well as the workplace, according to Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights. Dozens of other communities have passed measures that restrict smoking in some way.
Chicago’s proposal led to outspoken debate between smoke-free advocates and restaurant and bar owners. After several hearings in early 2003, public discussion fizzled out as city elections approached. The delay surprised observers who considered the ban in tune with Mayor Daley’s progressive environmental policies and anticipated a relatively smooth trip through the City Council.
Joel Africk, CEO of the American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago, says it’s just a matter of time before the city falls in with other communities, states and countries and adopts an anti-smoking ordinance.
“Every time another major city takes this step, it becomes more difficult for Chicago to say this idea can’t work in a big city,” he said.
Africk cited a growing pile of evidence that smoking bans, besides slashing the number of smokers and reducing cancer rates, do not ravage the restaurant and bar business–the main objection of the hospitality industry.
A year after New York banned smoking in its restaurants and bars, a city study showed there was no significant impact on business revenues. California credits its smoke-free laws with a dramatic decrease in tobacco-related cancers.
But Chicago business owners are putting up a big fight. The Illinois Restaurant Association opposes an anti-smoking ordinance, insisting the measure would hurt sales in an already suffering industry.
“We’re not here to support tobacco, but [for the city] to go and tie the hands of restaurant owners and on such an elective basis is confounding,” Illinois Restaurant Association President Colleen McShane said. “Our restaurant owners and operators need the flexibility to voluntarily choose the right business decision.”
The industry is responding to customer demands on this issue already, McShane points out. In the city, owners voluntarily added 90 percent more smoke-free seats over the last five years, and some decided to go smoke-free entirely, according to the association.
Restaurants are required by city ordinance to designate at least 30 percent of seating as non-smoking.
Economic reasons for opposing a ban aren’t sufficient in the face of major, widespread health concerns, and Chicago needs to get with the program, said Leo McCord, a spokesman for Ald. Smith and the Health Committee coordinator.
“It’s embarrassing that Chicago is so far behind this issue when 65,000 people a year are dying from secondhand smoke,” he said.
New York City and Boston adopted anti-smoking measures last year. They were followed by statewide bans. Some communities in Kentucky and West Virginia, where much of the nation’s tobacco is still grown, decided to prohibit smoking in public places around the same time. In the suburbs, Wilmette, Skokie and Evanston have pushed through strong anti-smoking measures.
McCord said as health data continues to warn against the dangers of secondhand smoke, he believes public support for the ordinance will only build.
“The logic is there for this ban to be passed.”
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asneumer@tribune.com
