Oak Forest and the Smoking Shack

By Alicia Dorr in News on Sep 27, 2007 4:00PM

Oak Forest officials just realized one unseemly result of the state-wide smoking ban set to take effect January 1: throngs of angry, drunk, cold smokers loitering outside bars.

In order to avoid an uprising, or at least to steer clear of unsightly smokers’ tents popping up on their well-tended streets, the local council is taking up the issue. Aldermen are looking into setting rules for would-be structures that may pop up 15 feet away from pubs. By making the type and size of smoking shacks uniform, as well as mandating certain amenities like lighting, heating and proper ventilation, they are hoping the smokers will remain docile, proprietors won’t lose business and the town won’t look like a damn hillbilly convention.

Tinley Park and Orland Park have already addressed the issue, so the idea isn’t new. Now all they need is R.J. Reynolds to sponsor the projects.

Image via quitguide.com.