On Friday, December 5, Governor Evers vetoed a bill that would have weakened Wisconsin's current clean indoor air protections and degraded decades of progress in both reducing exposure to secondhand smoke and preventing commercial tobacco use.
The proposed legislation would have increased the number of places that could allow indoor smoking of cigars, brown cigarettes, hookah or pipe tobacco products allowing any bar that meets the 15% sales threshold to become a tobacco bar. This bill does not require a separate license for tobacco bars, making them hard to track and hard to enforce. This means that it will be difficult for law enforcement to identify whether taverns meet the 15% sales threshold, enforce what products are being smoked, and ensure public health protections.
Wisconsin's smoke-free air law has prohibited smoking in indoor public places and protected workers and customers from the significant dangers of secondhand smoke. The loophole would have undermined the law, created confusion, put people at risk of serious health issues, and forced workers to choose between their health and a paycheck.
We know there is no safe amount of secondhand smoke, and for 15 years, Wisconsin residents have enjoyed the protections of our smoke-free law. Commercial tobacco is still the leading cause of preventable death in Wisconsin. Additionally, secondhand smoke contains many harmful and toxic chemicals, 70 of which are known to cause cancer. Exposure to secondhand smoke can cause stroke, heart-disease, and lung cancer in people who do not smoke.
The State Assembly passed the bill in September, and the State Senate passed the bill in November leavingin it to Governor Evers to sign or veto. By vetoing this bill, the governor has prioritized the health and future of our state. With public health funding facing cuts at the national level, it's critical to keep best practice health policies like the smoke-free air law in place to sustain progress made in reducing the impact of commercial tobacco products on Wisconsin.
