Smoke Free Wisconsin News

Read the Report.

Madison, WI – As the state legislature considers smoke free legislation to protect public health, WISPIRG released a new report confirming smoke free policies have accomplished that goal without harming local economies. The report exposed that claims that smoke free air policies are bad for business have been purported by Big Tobacco and their allies, and not based on reality, as evidenced by a vast library of independent, peer-reviewed scientific studies. Building on previous studies, WISPIRG’s report also includes new empirical data from Madison and Appleton, finding a positive economic impact on the hospitality industry.

The new report, Smoke and Mirrors: Tobacco Industry Claims Unfounded, found that requests for liquor licenses in Madison and Appleton has increased since the implementation of the smoke free ordinance in those communities with 365 licensed liquor establishments in Madison in January 2008 compared to 332 in July 2005 before the ordinance, and for the first time ever in Appleton there is a continuous waiting list for Class B liquor licenses with 8 currently on the waiting list. The average assessed property value in business districts in both communities has increased since implementation. In addition, the report summarizes findings from nine peer-reviewed scientific studies that were selected for their geographic and demographic diversity to help demonstrate similar conclusions have been made in different communities.

“Smoke-filled bars and restaurants are a serious public health threat. There is overwhelming public support for action,” said Bruce Speight, WISPIRG Public Interest Advocate. ‘It’s no surprise that Big Tobacco and its allies are trying to scare us with tales of economic ruin. This report shows that we can have smoke free bars and a healthy economy.”

In addition to empirical data from Madison and Appleton, the report collects data from peer-reviewed scientific studies conducted on the economic impacts of smoke free policies in municipalities in Minnesota; Lexington, Kentucky; New York City; El Paso, Texas; and statewide policies in Massachusetts and California. Furthermore, as questions have arisen about the consistency of economic impacts among different types of communities, the report examined studies that reviewed impacts in rural and in smaller, less urban communities such as counties in California and West Lake Hills, Texas with a population of 3,000 at the time of the study. Regardless of the variables, the outcomes were consistent: smoke free policies either had a neutral or positive economic impact.

Conversely, a 2003 report by Dr. Michelle Scollo and her colleagues at the Centre for Tobacco Control found that every single study claiming a negative economic impact was supported by the tobacco industry. The study concluded that “all of the best designed studies report no impact or a positive impact of smoke-free restaurant and bar laws on sales or employment. Policymakers can act to protect workers and patrons from the toxins in secondhand smoke confident in rejecting industry claims that there will be an adverse economic impact.”

“You’ve never seen anyone fight the smoking ban as hard as me, but I was wrong,” said Chad Vandaalwyk, Owner of The 10th Frame Bowling and Spirits in Appleton, WI. “It’s great for business – good for customers, even better for employees.”

Secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in America. As U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona concluded in a 2006 report, there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

Secondhand smoke contains 69 different chemicals that cause cancer. Nationwide, secondhand smoke kills at least 53,000 nonsmokers a year, including 3,000 lung cancer deaths and 35,000 coronary heart disease deaths. Exposure to secondhand smoke is associated with an increased risk for respiratory infections, asthma, and lower chronic ear infections, and lung cancer, nasal sinus cancer, heart disease, stroke and asthma among adults.

The Breathe Free Air Bill has broad bi-partisan support in both the Senate and the Assembly, and Governor Doyle has been a strong advocate for the bill. A Senate committee passed a slightly revised version of this bill (SB150), which was a compromise, in January. An Assembly version of the bill (AB834) was introduced last week, and is scheduled for a public hearing before the Assembly Public Health Committee tomorrow.

"I think it's unfortunate this proposal has stalled in the Senate", Representative J.A. Hines said. "I'm hopeful it can gain some momentum in the Assembly in the time we have left."

“WISPIRG applauds Representatives Wieckert, Richards, and Gottlieb, Senators Risser and Roessler, and the bi-partisan legislators that are standing up for public health and supporting the Breathe Free Air Bill (SB150/AB834),” continued Speight. “With Illinois having gone smoke free on New Year’s Day and Minnesota last year and Iowa on its way to adopting a smoke-free policy, Wisconsin should not fall behind our neighbors and the rest of the country in protecting public health from secondhand smoke.”