Politics

Mayor Brandon Johnson Signs Executive Order in Effort to Crack Down on CTA Smoking

Mayor Brandon Johnson is ordering key city agencies to take “immediate actions” in order to end smoking across the entire CTA transit system.

Johnson on Tuesday signed an executive order calling for a “full-force of government approach” to tackling the pervasive smoking problem on city trains and buses.

“It is time for that collaborative, cross-departmental and holistic approach to tackle the smoking problem on trains and to bolster our community safety efforts,” the mayor said Tuesday. “When it comes to smoking on trains, I have a simple message: It has got to stop.”

Through his order, Johnson directed Chicago police, the Department of Family and Support Services, the Department of Public Health and the mayor’s office to work with the CTA on recommendations for medium- and long-term solutions to the smoking issue.

Those include the deployment of CDPH’s Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement teams and DFSS’s Homeless Outreach and Prevention teams to assist in the curtailment efforts. Those departments have also been directed to explore the feasibility of assembling teams of community violence interrupters and mental health professionals to engage smokers and offer on-site counseling, smoking cessation resources and long-term treatment.

Police Department Superintendent Larry Snelling said his department is committed to “strengthening safety across the CTA and addressing the concerns of transit passengers."

Asked if additional enforcement would help solve the issues, Johnson noted that police are already ticketing smokers, but it has proven to not be enough of a deterrent.

“And so that’s why we’re taking a more holistic approach,” he said. “As I’ve said before, when it comes to public safety and community safety in Chicago, we have used the full force of government … It has proven to be effective.”

The order also directs city departments and the CTA to partner with schools, block clubs, faith leaders and community-based organizations to draft education campaigns explaining the risks of second-hand smoke, reinforcing the CTA’s existing smoke-free policy and inviting families to community events promoting smoke-free public transit.

“Reducing smoking on public transit is a vital step toward protecting riders and transit workers,” CDPH Commissioner Olusimbo “Simbo” Ige said in a statement. “This executive order reflects the collaborative, citywide effort needed to prevent diseases like heart disease, stroke, emphysema, and lung cancer — and to ensure every Chicagoan can breathe easier, no matter where they live or work.”

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there “is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke” as even brief exposure can cause “immediate harm.” The mayor’s office added that exposure to secondhand smoke is a well-established risk factor for chronic respiratory illnesses and heightens risk for hospitalization, emergency care and respiratory failure.

Johnson noted that an estimated 68,000 school-age children ride the CTA each weekday.

“Our kids cannot be exposed to the detrimental health impacts of secondhand smoke,” he said.

---