Gov. Rod Blagojevich has signed the Smoke-Free Illinois Act but the state's residents can't breathe easily yet.

For one thing, the law doesn't take effect until Jan. 1, leaving many Illinoisans unprotected for now - except for the 44 communities with existing bans, such as Bloomington and Normal.

But the other reason to hold your breath is an effort to water down the new state law before it even takes effect.

State Rep. Patrick Verschoore, D-Milan, is proposing that the ban not take effect in casinos for five years or until smoking is banned in casinos in neighboring states.

Verschoore's Quad City-area district includes Casino Rock Island. Iowa does not have a statewide smoking ban.

Harrah's Metropolis Casino, located across the Ohio River from Kentucky - which also does not have a smoking ban - is planning to offer a smoking area that would not be affected by the Illinois ban but would be protected from the weather and "temperature controlled."

As for East Peoria's Par-A-Dice Hotel and Casino, we don't see its gamblers driving more than 100 miles to a bordering state just so they can gamble and smoke at the same time.

Those who decry the impact of smoking bans on business - whether it's a casino or a bar - are discounting the diminishing percentage of smokers in society today.

Only about one in five Americans smoke, according to federal government figures.

And a study of gamblers released late last year by the University of Nevada-Reno found a similar percentage of smokers among gamblers.

That study found 22.6 percent of gamblers smoked in Reno/Sparks casinos. The figure was 21.5 percent in Las Vegas and 17 percent in Lake Tahoe.

Whether you are talking about casinos, restaurants, bars or other public places, it is still a public health issue - for employees and non-smoking patrons.

Those who argue economic issues and the risk of lost business must look at the economic issues of medical costs as well.

About $3.2 billion in annual medical expenses are attributable to smoking in Illinois, according to statistics provided by the governor's office. The office also reports that the annual death toll from secondhand smoke in Illinois is 2,900.

So we applaud lawmakers who approved the bill and the governor for signing it without any changes. And we urge lawmakers to allow it to take effect Jan.1 without watering it down with exemptions.