IL $1,500 Fine to Anyone Who Throws a Butt On the Ground

thats such bs.

If someone is caught flicking a butt outside of their car window or on their ground for the first time, their fine will not exceed $1,500, as it is classified as a class B misdemeanor, though their second conviction would be class A and could run them over that amount. If they exceed the third and fourth convictions, however, the cigarette-flicker could be punished with a $25,000 fine and no less than a year in prison.

http://www.hngn.com/articles/11208/20130829/cigarette-butts-banned-illinois-minimum-1-500-fine-anyone-who.htm

That's beyond ridiculous.

as a smoker myself the fine i understand but the one year in prison thing is just no just no

I guess no one is going to risk dropping it like it's hot.

Its all roundabout.

The cigarette companies have their money in the governments pockets, then the government enforces this law. So more money goes back to the greedy corporations. You can never enjoy yourself.

And yes, I am a nutty conspiracy theorist.

as am i to a extent. i believe what you say is accurate but when it comes to theories like the nwo killed paul walker or sandy hook was an inside job thats where i distance myself from those kinds of people

Butt jokes aside I actually approve of this. Its a big step towards the discouraging of smoking, something that in my opinion should be illegal in itself - its also pretty disgusting when there's trash all over the ground.

While I do agree that its a bit of an excessive punishment for the crime in question it doesnt really matter, there is no reason for anyone to be breaking the law in the first place anyway. Unless they just didnt know about it? But despite the amount of people saying they dont I think most do.

if thats the case why not do it with booze? after all people who drink commit the most domestic violence and car accidents plus divorces or what about people who throw trash in the street?

Don't smoke, don't live in the US either. But if there is fines for dropping litter then the same should apply for butt ends.

Though they maybe taking it too far with that amount...

Despite being a frequent drinker myself id love if they started taking steps to minimize it and eventually get rid of it, id take that loss for the betterment of mankind. After all, id only miss it because I know of it, any future generations wouldnt have to miss a thing and just reap the benefits of living in a world without something that causes "domestic violence and car accidents" like you said.

Or at the very least putting a fine on throwing glass bottles on the ground which is more in line with what OP was talking about (butts on the ground).

I was thinking earlier how much I hate people who just toss butts out their car windows (dude in front of me went through 3 and tossed all of them as we were stuck in traffic) but that's pretty excessive. It does say "up to $1,500" though, so maybe there'll be some discretion from the police? I'm kidding, smokers in Illinois are screwed.

$1,500 fine ain't $#!%........ You know how much a pack of cigarettes cost in Chicago?

I don't think you understand how the law works. They give a maximum fine but no one ever pays that amount. A first fine would probably be just a warning and even the second would probably just be a few dollars at most.

If you keep doing it and end up with 4 convictions well you get what you deserve.

Where are your stats to prove that or did you just make that up?

That doesn't prove people who drink commit the most domestic violence or car accidents or divorces.

That just shows a study that says drinking can increase your chances of getting divorced.

how are these for stats?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/03/divorce-causes_n_3008658.html

Alcoholism Can Lead to Divorce

http://www.divorce360.com/divorce-articles/causes-of-divorce/addiction/alcoholism-can-lead-to-divorce.aspx?artid=414

Does the Drink have your Marriage on the Brink of Divorce?

This leads us to look at the very troubling, but often very real problem, of violence in marriage. As we have discussed, alcoholism hinders one’s ability to think clearly and rationally. Pair this truism with the fact that people who are intoxicated tend to be more impulsive, aggressive and lack restraint.

According to the World Health Organization, www.who.org, “Strong links have been found between alcohol use and the occurrence of intimate partner violence and rates of divorce in many countries. Evidence is also available to support relationships between alcohol and intimate partner violence and divorce that include:

Alcohol use directly affects cognitive and physical function, reducing self-control and leaving individuals less capable of negotiating a non-violent resolution to conflicts within relationships and increased risk of divorce.

Excessive drinking by one partner can exacerbate financial difficulties, childcare problems, infidelity or other family stressors. This can create marital tension and conflict, increasing the risk of violence occurring between partners and ultimately leading a marriage to divorce.

Individual and societal beliefs that alcohol causes aggression can encourage violent behavior after drinking and the use of alcohol as an excuse for violent behavior, which is often noted in divorce proceedings.

Evidence suggests that differences in alcohol consumption between partners are also important and couples where only on partner drinks excessively are more likely to experience alcohol-related arguments, physical violence and ultimately divorce.

The impacts of intimate partner violence is wide-ranging. For the victim, health effects include physical injury (which for some women may lead to pregnancy complication or miscarriage), emotional problems leading to suicide, depression, and alcohol, drug abuse as a method of coping and of course the contemplation of divorce. In sever cases, the injuries sustained from an intimate partner can be fatal, and in the US around 11% of all homicides between 1976 and 2002 were committed by an intimate partner. Intimate partner violence are more likely result in physical injury when the perpetrator has consumed alcohol.

Related social problems often affect victims’ relationships with family, friends and future intimate partners as well as their ability to work or attend school.

Children who witness violence (including threats of violence) between their parents are more likely to develop violent and delinquent behaviors during childhood and heavy drinking patterns or alcohol dependence later in life increasing their risk of becoming perpetrators of violence and victims of divorce.

http://exmagazineonline.com/drink-on-the-brink/

There is absolutely no reason someone should litter their dirty cigarette butts everywhere, they deserve a harsh fine. That being said, this will cause problems in our criminal justice system that is already taxed by overcrowding. Every point in the system from policing, to the courts, to corrections is already bogged down. We cannot add more people to the mix for such a ridiculous reason, and we cannot continue to throw people in jail for stuff like this, America already incarcerates more of its own citizens than any other nation in the world. It's a burden on taxpayers, and it has negative effects on the offenders.