RHA is proud to have been a leader in the passage of Chicago’s Clean Indoor Air Act (“Smoke-free Chicago”) in 2005, dozens of smoke-free laws in the metro-Chicago region (2003-2007), and the statewide Smoke-Free Illinois Act in 2007. Visit Tobacco Control Successes to read about how these victories were achieved.
RHA’s top policy priority is to strengthen and defend our existing smoke-free laws. RHA and partners have successfully fought against damaging exemptions to the Smoke-Free Illinois Act and advocated for strong Illinois Department of Public Health rules for administration of this law.
If you are interested in joining efforts to protect people from secondhand smoke exposure, contact Kelly Nichols, Senior Manager of Policy and Advocacy, via email at knichols@resphealth.org or by phone at (312) 628-0226.
In recent years, RHA and its tobacco control partners have advocated for the inclusion of electronic nicotine delivery systems, such as e-cigarettes or vape products, to clean indoor air laws. These devices do not produce “harmless water vapor,” but an aerosol that can contain harmful chemicals and addictive nicotine. These devices can also undermine the efficacy of clean indoor air laws by re-normalizing smoking behaviors in public.
With assistance from RHA, in 2014 Chicago became just the second city in the country to add e-cigarettes to a smoke-free law. As of July 2017, more than 20 Illinois municipalities have added e-cigarettes to their local clean indoor air laws.
If you are interested in added adding e-cigarettes to your community’s smoke-free law, contact Kelly Nichols, Senior Manager of Policy and Advocacy, via email at knichols@resphealth.org or by phone at (312) 628-0226.