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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, There are 7,000 chemicals in secondhand smoke,
3hundreds of which are toxic and 70 of which are known to cause
4cancer; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Exposure to secondhand smoke has an immediate
6adverse impact on the cardiovascular system, damaging blood
7vessels, increasing the likelihood of clots, heart attacks, and
8strokes; it increases the risk of emphysema, lung cancer, and
9other chronic diseases and causes premature death in children
10and adults who do not smoke; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Tobacco use is responsible for 18,300 deaths in
12Illinois annually, including most lung cancer deaths; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Each year, the State of Illinois spends $5.49
14billion on health care costs for tobacco-related illnesses and
15has to manage a Medicaid burden of $1.9 billion; these health
16and economic costs are shared by every Illinois resident,
17regardless of whether or not they smoke; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Proactive tobacco control policies can save lives
19and dollars; grassroots volunteers in Illinois worked for more
20than 30 years to pass legislation to reduce the harmful effects
21of smoking and secondhand smoke; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The 95th Illinois General Assembly passed Senate
2Bill 500 - the Smoke Free Illinois Act, prohibiting smoking in
3all workplaces and public places, including bars and
4restaurants on March 29, 2007; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Since the passage of the Smoke Free Illinois Act,
6there has been a nearly 20.5% decrease in hospitalizations from
7asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and
8acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) among Illinois
9adults; the drop in asthma and heart attacks has resulted in
10savings of more than $1 billion for Illinois; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The adult smoking rate in Illinois in 2007 was
1220.7%; as of 2017, the rate has fallen to 15.l%; the 2007 high
13school smoking rate was 21.7%; as of 2017, the rate has fallen
14to 15.1%; the 2007 middle school smoking rate was 8.8%; as of
152017, the rate has fallen to 2%; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Illinois children are growing up in a smoke-free
17public indoor environment, and do not remember, or have never
18heard the question "do you want to sit in the smoking or
19non-smoking section"; therefore, be it
 
20    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL
21ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare March 29,

 

 

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12017 as "Smoke-Free Illinois Day" in recognition of the
2improved health benefits by Illinois going smoke-free ten years
3ago; and be it further
 
4    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
5presented to the American Lung Association as a symbol of our
6respect and esteem.