IL SJR0051

The 2006 U.S. Surgeon General report estimated that secondhand smoke exposure kills approximately 50,000 people annually in the United States, including approximately 2,000 in Illinois, with no risk-free level of exposure.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported a 28.4 percent decline in smoking rates after the Smoke Free Illinois Act was enacted in 2008, along with declines in heart disease and lung cancer mortality rates.

Electronic cigarettes and combusted marijuana aerosol contain heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, and ultrafine particles that can exacerbate respiratory ailments and constrict arteries.

The resolution calls for protecting and strengthening the Smoke Free Illinois Act and urges the Illinois Department of Public Health to provide a data brief by 2023 on the Act's impact since 2013 to commemorate the 15th anniversary of its enactment.