Claim: Illinois anti-smoking law is flawed

BELLEVILLE, Ill., Feb. 5 (UPI) -- An Illinois state's attorney has told police he will not prosecute people who violate the state's new public smoking ban, it was reported Tuesday.

St. Clair County State's Attorney Robert Haida has asked Illinois lawmakers to fine tune the law, which went into effect Jan. 1, to give prosecutors clear directions on how they should handle enforcing it, the Bellevile (Ill.) News-Democrat reported.

"It's incomplete in its present form," Haida said, "It doesn't tell you how it is to be enforced. It doesn't say if cases are to be heard in circuit court, associate circuit court, misdemeanor court. There are several technical flaws that need to be addressed."

Despite the law's alleged shortcomings, people who smoke in public buildings could still face fines of $250, while businesses that allow indoor smoking could be fined $2,500, the newspaper said.

"There is no problem, there is nothing to fix. The law is clear. It's his job to figure out how to prosecute it," said Kathy Drea, director of public policy for the American Lung Association's Illinois office.