Wisconsin Voters Support New Rules on Tobacco Product Placement and Equal Taxation

A recent poll found strong, bi-partisan, statewide support for proposals to move all
tobacco products behind the counter, close tax loopholes that allow some tobacco products to be
taxed less than others and continue funding the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program to keep
tobacco out of our kids’ hands.

Tobacco is the number one cause of preventable death in Wisconsin and 80 percent of those addicted
to tobacco begin using it before the age of 18. Recently, the tobacco industry has developed more
ways to target youth by disguising their newest products to look and smell like kids favorite candies,
mints and gum. Currently, there is no state law that requires these other tobacco products be sold
behind the counter. Furthermore, these products are cheaper and are taxed less than cigarettes,
making them more appealing and accessible to kids.

In early May, a coalition of public health groups commissioned Public Opinion Strategies to conduct a
poll on tobacco issues. The poll, which surveyed 500 likely Wisconsin voters, found three out of four
respondents were concerned about tobacco use among youth and supported the Joint Finance
Committee’s recent decision to maintain funding for the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program.
In addition, pollsters found nearly eight in ten voters favor a behind-the-counter proposal for candy
flavored tobacco and 71 percent want to close the tobacco tax loophole and tax all tobacco products at
the same rate as cigarettes.

The poll illustrates strong public support for the ongoing efforts of the Tobacco Prevention and
Control program and for legislative action to close tobacco loopholes that target kids and jeopardize
the fiscal and physical health of Wisconsin and its citizens.

To read survey click here.

Secretary Sebelius Announcement

Earlier this week the US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary announced that combating tobacco use is a top strategic priority. She cites that significant progress had been made to reduce and eliminate the burden of tobacco for many decades. However, the sharp decline in smoking rates has become stagnant in some parts of the nation. Sec. Sebelius points to comprehensive, sustainable, and accountable tobacco control efforts which are based on evidence and best practice to help further reduce the burden of tobacco in our nation. In light of this statement she has outlined the following priorities:

1. Strengthen the Implementation of Evidence-based Tobacco Control Interventions and Policies in States and Communities
2. Change Social Norms Around Tobacco Use
3. Accelerate Research to Expand the Science Base and Monitor Progress
4. Leverage HHS Systems and Resources to Create a Society Free of Tobacco-related Disease and Death

We urge you to thank Sec. Sebelius for standing with us in fighting back against Big Tobacco. 

National Attention turns to Massachusetts

According to the New York Times article, "Massachusetts began offering virtually free treatments to help poor residents of the state stop smoking in 2006, proponents hoped the new Medicaid program would someday reap benefits. But state officials never expected it would happen so soon.

New state data show a steep drop in the smoking rate among poor people. When the program started, about 38 percent of poor Massachusetts residents smoked. By 2008, the smoking rate for poor residents had dropped to about 28 percent, a decrease of about 30,000 people in two and a half years, or one in six smokers, said Lois Keithly, director of the state’s Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program." Medicaid coverage of cessation services is imperative in making progress towards reducing tobacco use numbers in every state including Wisconsin. To learn more about the numbers read the full article.

Despite the fact that the research has not been peer reviewed this program is an important indicator that if a state makes an investment in tobacco prevention and control promising results are possible. This article comes on the heels of a report indicating that Wisconsin lags in its funding of tobacco control efforts.

New report shows Wisconsin is not making good use of tobacco tax revenue

Wisconsin drops to 33 in the nation in funding for tobacco prevention and control for 2010. Next year Wisconsin will only spend 12.6% of the CDC reccomendation for tobacco control. Despite the fact that Wisconsin ranks 5th in the highest cigarette tax, its drops to the bottom in spending on preventing tobacco use.

We all pay over $2 billion in tobacco related illnesses each year, yet Wisconsin legislators failed to allocate funds towards important programs that seek to regulate and control tobacco, but also prevent its use. As we have discussed many times, the Wisconsin legislature was short sighted when they cut funding for this critical public health program by over 50%. Together local, state, and regional partners have gotten the high school smoking rate down to 20.5%. It is likely those trends will reverse if funding is not restored to the program.

Nice Editorial in the Green Bay Press Gazette

The Green Bay Press Gazette got it right when they wrote the following editorial:

The statistics are encouraging: The number of Wisconsin stores caught selling tobacco to minors in an annual random screening dropped from 7.2 percent in 2008 to 5.7 percent this year.

It's the latest success story in a state tobacco control effort that has also seen a 36 percent drop in the number of high-school-age smokers and a 73 percent drop in middle-school smoking, according to SmokeFreeWisconsin.

So why did the state cut these effective antismoking programs, which also include cessation programs?

Educating young people about the dangers of smoking is an ongoing effort. That's why it remains baffling that the state Legislature cut tobacco control programs by 55 percent last summer, even while raising the tax on a pack of cigarettes another 75 cents.

Lawmakers must understand that money raised for a specific purpose has to be applied for that purpose. These are dollars raised, in part, to protect our kids' health, not a big pot of money to be spent as politicians please.

It is still unclear why editorial boards seem to recognize the importance of program funding but the legislature does not! 

Wausau Daily Herald: Anti-smoking advocates dismayed by state cuts on heels of tax hike

The Wausau Daily Herald got it right this time. Tobacco Prevention and Control Advocates are extremely dismayed by the significant cuts in tobacco control dollars especially while the cigarette tax was increased in the last budget. For smokers who are ready to quit- the Wisconsin Quit Line is not going to have the capacity to offer the type of service they have offered in the past. The Tobacco Prevention and Control program will not be out educating folks about the dangers of tobacco and the deceptive practices of corporate tobacco.

To read the article click here

Beloit Daily News: Anti-smoking funds cut

Just today Beloit Daily News is discussing the funding cuts to the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program:
"lthough Wisconsin taxpayers are paying more for cigarettes, programs aimed at curbing smoking are getting cut.

State Rep. Kim Hixson, D-Whitewater, Rep. Chuck Benedict, D-Beloit, and Sen. Judy Robson, D-Beloit, are co-sponsoring a bill moving through the legislature that would restore some of the funding to tobacco-related programs like the statewide Quit Line.

“At a time when both the state and federal cigarette taxes have increased substantially, more smokers are wanting to quit and it is very difficult to do it on their own,” Robson said. “They need a plan and they need support. The type of phone counseling and medications offered by the Quit Line have shown great success in helping people quit. Unfortunately, funding has been cut for these important services,” the article stated. 

Click here to read the whole article

Great Article in the Janesville Gazette

JANESVILLE — Much of Rock County Youth2Youth’s funding went up in smoke when Wisconsin’s anti-smoking and smoking cessation programs lost 55 percent of their state funding.

Funds in the 2009-11 budget signed by Gov. Jim Doyle cut total funding for anti-tobacco programs by more than half, from $15.3 million a year to $6.9 million.

Debbie Fischer, director of the countywide coalition, reacted to the cuts with disbelief.

“The statewide smoking free air (bill) passed and there was a large increase for cigarette tax, which means people are going to need help quitting (smoking). It’s almost like they said our work is done. But we’re so far from that,’’ she said.

Read the full article by clicking here 

Green Bay picks up on the tobacco control funding cuts

"Starting next July, bars and restaurants in Wisconsin must go smoke-free. Now local smoke-free coalitions which backed that state law say they're already starting to see more smokeless tobacco products.

They say that's why they need to educate more people about the dangers of tobacco, period, but they fear it will be a tough task with more than half their funding now gone.

"We can see that the tobacco industry is marketing to our youth," Kris Kovacic from the Brown County Tobacco-Free Coalition says.

She points to one example, "They're actually tobacco products but they look like candy products."

Full Article

Quit Line remains despite budget cuts

The article on budget reductions impacting the state's Tobacco Prevention and Control Program highlighted one of the tough decisions made to address the impact of the struggling national economy on the state budget.

Secretary Timberlake published a letter to the editor today in response to the article addressing the funding cut for tobacco prevention:

Funding for tobacco prevention received an across-the-board reduction applied to all state programs, as well as significant reductions during the legislative budget process. Even with these cuts, the Department of Health Services is committed to helping smokers who want to quit and preventing kids from starting to smoke.

We will maintain an important resource in our state - the Quit Line - which has consistently served about 2 percent of Wisconsin's smoking population. We will still be able to assist the same number of people, despite the reductions.

We'll achieve this by maintaining the basic funding level for the Quit Line, as well as adjusting the number of follow-up calls for individuals with private insurance to ensure the Quit Line will remain an effective tool for many years. We also cover smoking cessation medications through the Medicaid program.

There are many reasons to stop smoking, whether it's for your own health, your family's health or because smoking is an increasingly expensive addiction. Whatever your reason, the Quit Line is still available to help. Call 1-800-QUIT NOW today.

Great Article in the Wisconsin State Journal TODAY!

(Pictured Left: Lois Smith, of Rio, quit smoking with help from Wisconsin's Quit Line, part of a program funded by the state cigarette tax. She's shown here in February 2009. Photo by: John Maniaci - State Journal archives)

"Starting Thursday, smokers with health insurance who call the state Quit Line for help kicking their habit will get less help, the result of a 55 percent cut in state funding to smoking cessation and anti-smoking programs.

In spite of soaring state cigarette taxes, the Quit Line's funding was slashed by two-thirds - from $3.7 million a year to $1.2 million - as part of the broad cuts implemented in the 2009-11 budget signed by Gov. Jim Doyle to help solve the state's massive deficit. Total funding for anti-tobacco programs was cut from $15.3 million a year to $6.9 million.

The cuts follow a 75-cent increase in the cigarette tax on Sept. 1 that brought the state tax to $2.52 per pack, and also follows a $1-per-pack increase in 2008 - moves made to help solve budget deficits."

TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE CLICK HERE

Does the recent Ohio case about tobacco settlement funds apply to Wisconsin?

Many people have asked whether or not the recently decided Ohio case about state tobacco settlement funds could potentially apply to other states, such as Wisconsin.

A little background on the case would be helpful. In 2000, the Ohio state legislature placed their $230 million Big Tobacco settlement into an endowment, specifying that the money could only be used for tobacco prevention and cessation programs. Thus, when the state tried to use the money for a stimulus plan in 2008, the plaintiffs for the case sued. The plaintiffs were receiving benefits from cessation programs and felt the money should go to prevention and control programs, rather than general state funds.

The decision, handed down earlier this week, found that the legislature acted illegally when using the tobacco settlement money to fund other state programs. However the state has appealed, so the battle is far from over.

However, according to the Tobacco Legal Consortium, the Ohio case is unlikely to have legal influence on other states unless the state has a specific endowment like Ohio's already set up.

When the state of Ohio passed the law in 200o creating the "irrovocable trust", the law required that the Department of Health create an endowment specifically for the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program, place the settlement money in the fund, and use the money for only the intended purpose. Because Ohio had the legal protections in place, the plaintiffs had a clearer case --- the state taking the funds was clearly illegal.

Advocates in other states could have a chance at winning a similar suit, but they would have to find a state lawmaking it illegal to use tobacco settlement money for purposes other than prevention and cessation.

We hope this clarifies some questions people had about the master settlement agreement. To read the Campaign for Tobacco free Kids' press release on the Ohio case, click here.

Great column in Madison Magazine about program funding

A recent editorial in Madison Magazine rightly chides Wisconsin lawmakers for cutting funding to the Wisconsin Tobacco Prevention and Control Program while raising the cigarette tax.

Here is an excerpt:
We have a statewide smoking ban and our cigarette tax is now $2.52 per pack. But we need the third leg of that stool. It only makes sense—it’s just too bad our lawmakers don’t seem to have any when it comes to this life and death issue.

Read the full piece here.

Budget passes Assembly, headed for governor's desk Monday morning

On Friday night the State Assembly passed the budget, unchanged from the conference committee and Senate version, 51-46. (Democrats Bob Ziegelbauer and Peggy Krusick voted against, while independent Jeff Wood voted for; republicans Pat Strachota and Don Friske were absent.)

The governor is expected to sign the budget on Monday at 11 a.m. at the governor's residence.

Senate approves conference committee report with additional $5 million cut to tobacco prevention funding

The Senate just voted to approve the conference committee report - which means their vote includes the additional $5 million cut to tobacco prevention - now the budget goes back to the Assembly, which can't officially meet until about 8:30 p.m. tonight (Friday).

Senate vote count: 17-15
Republicans plus Sen. Sullivan (D-Wauwatosa) voted against.

Take Action: Call your state representative and ask him or her to restore the money that was pulled out of tobacco prevention in the conference committee budget. Look up your representative's contact information here.

UNBELIEVABLE; UNACCEPTABLE

Just got word that the conference committee on the state budget included an additional $5 million cut to the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program over the next biennium.

It seems some state legislators truly want to gut tobacco prevention efforts in Wisconsin.

If the cut goes through as proposed (representatives could vote as early as 8:30 p.m. Friday) Wisconsin will have a program operating on just 1/10th of the CDC's recommended budget.

State programs are being cut across the board, but more to the tune of 5%. We're talking about a 55% cut to tobacco prevention.

Call your state senator and state representative and tell them to restore the money the conference committee pulled out of tobacco prevention funding. Click here for your legislators' contact information.


You can view the Legislative Fiscal Bureau's analysis of the conference committee's budget version here (thanks to WisPolitics for posting this). Scroll to .pdf pages 63-64 (numbered in the document as pages 49-50) and look for #13: Tobacco Use Control Grants.

WI Youth Wins National Award!

Kyle Picha of the Prairie du Chien FACT (Fighting Against Corporate Tobacco) group was named Central Region Youth Advocate of the Year at an awards gala on May 6th by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids for his leadership in the fight against tobacco. Kyle has been active with FACT for 4 years and is currently serving on the FACT Youth Board of Directors. FACT is WI's youth-driven tobacco prevention movement.

Since his involvement in FACT, Kyle has played an integral role in helping advocate for a statewide smoke-free law in Wisconsin, testified before the Joint Finance Committee in support of state tobacco prevention funding, and helped create an award-winning media advocacy campaign.

Congrats Kyle!

Cigarette Tax Increase Passes, Other Tobacco-Related Budget Updates

Wisconsin will have the 5th-highest cigarette tax in the nation, thanks to a 75-cent tax increase passed early this morning by the Joint Finance Committee. Cigarette taxes in Wisconsin will now total $2.52 per pack. Like the budget itself, the motion that raised taxes on cigarettes passed 12-4 along party lines. The cigarette tax increase, assuming the budget moves through the next budget steps without changes, will take effect September 1.

On a day of gloomy news for tobacco control, the tax increase was one bright spot. The increase should encourage existing smokers to kick their addiction, discourage young people from starting, and, of course, raise much-needed revenue for the state's troubled balance sheet. (For more detail, see item 22 in the general fund omnibus taxes motion).

The committee also passed a "floor," or minimum tax, on moist snuff.

JFC Update: TPCP funding cut official

The Joint Finance Committee just voted on "Motion 700," which contained the nearly 40% cut to the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program we mentioned earlier today. It passed 12-4 on partisan lines.

What's next >>

• more changes to the budget by JFC
• JFC's budget moves to full Assembly for debate and vote (great opportunity for you to tell your state representative to reverse the cut - explain how the Quitline, your local coalition, or youth prevention activities have made a difference for you)
• budget moves to full Senate for debate and vote (important to also let your senator know why tobacco prevention is important to you or the people you care about)
• budgets are reconciled between the Assembly and Senate
• budget heads to governor's desk
• governor may exercise line item veto power and sign or reject the legislature's budget

On another note, it looks like the proposed tobacco tax increase will be up for debate later tonight.

Devastating cut to Tobacco Prevention and Control as part of today's omnibus motion

This afternoon, the Joint Finance Committee will be debating an omnibus motion (translation: proposal that contains many different issues) that contains a devastating cut to the state's Tobacco Prevention and Control Program.  (Scroll to pages 17 and 39 of the omnibus motion to read the TPCP cut info.)

Here are the details:

• TPCP is currently funded at $30.5 million for the biennium (less than a quarter of the funding level recommended by the CDC)
• In February, the governor proposed a $1.8 million cut for the next biennium
• The JFC restored the cut during an April vote (back to $30.5 million)
• The JFC is now debating rolling back the funding restoration PLUS cutting an additional $10 million - nearly 40% of the current funding - for the next biennium

At a time when demand for the TPCP's services will likely increase (federal cigarette tax increase, likely state cigarette tax increase, smoke-free law implementation pending), this devastating cut must be rejected to offer adequate assistance to tobacco users in Wisconsin who will be looking to quit and to make sure we're not letting the next generation of Wisconsin kids fall through the cracks and get hooked by Big Tobacco.