Ill. county prosecutor says he won't prosecute violators of smoking ban

Ill. prosecutor won't enforce smoking ban

BELLEVILLE, Ill. -- Calling it a flawed law, St. Clair County State's Attorney Robert Haida has informed local police that he will not prosecute violators of the state's public smoking ban. Haida says the law is incomplete in its present form because it doesn't say how the law should be enforced, nor in what court cases should be heard. Haida says he has asked state lawmakers to tweak the law to make the enforcement instructions to prosecutors more specific. Until that happens, Haida said he has told local police not to attempt to ticket violators. Despite his stance, Haida warned smokers against trying to light up in public. While prosecutors aren't sure how to handle the cases at the moment, it is still illegal to smoke in public buildings, and violators could face future prosecution or even civil lawsuits for breaking the law.