Smoke-Free Air Encouraging Healthier Wisconsin Homes, Workplaces

Today an encouraging new study was published in the Wisconsin Medical Journal showing the success of the smoke-free air law in decreasing secondhand  smoke exposure.

The study, which was conducted by University of Wisconsin Medicine and Public Health researchers,  showed that there was a significant decrease in second hand smoke exposure inside, outside, and at work.

The study also found that since the smoke-free air act went into effect in July 2010, residents have become more likely to adopt a smoke-free policy in their own homes.

This report clearly shows that because of the smoke-free air law, residents across the state are able to breathe smoke-free air at home and work. That is great news for our families and children.

It’s tremendously encouraging to see that people are such great fans of smoke-free air that they are setting smoke-free policies in their own homes.

The smoke free air law allows all workers and patrons to be protected from the well- known, cancer-causing chemicals in secondhand smoke by ensuring that all Wisconsin workplaces, including restaurants and bars, are smoke free.

Specifically, the report shows that since the Smoke-Free Air law went into place:

• The percentage of residents exposed to smoke outside the home declined from 55% to 32%
• The percentage of residents exposed to smoke at home declined from 13% to 7%
• The percentage of residents with non-smoking policies in their households rose from 74% to 80%.

This study is not the only report that has shown the great success of the smoke-free air law. Previous studies and surveys have shown that the smoke-free air law has greatly increased the health of Wisconsinites, including Wisconsin’s bartenders. This report builds on the growing amount of evidence of the health benefits of the smoke-free air law and  underscores the importance of ensuring that all Wisconsin residents  are able to choose to live in smoke-free housing.

The success of smoke-free air is an important step in promoting a healthier Wisconsin. 

But much work remains. Tobacco is still the leading cause of preventable death in Wisconsin. Nearly 8,000 people die each year from tobacco-related illnesses, and health care costs and lost productivity total $4.5 billion a year in Wisconsin. Smoke-free air is helping to turn these statistics around and we will continue to work together to reduce the burden of tobacco and promote the health of all people in Wisconsin.  

We look forward to seeing the continued health benefits of smoke-free air for the people of Wisconsin and our future generations.

Big Tobacco CEOs and their Big Payday

We all know that Big Tobacco companies are big spenders.

While many states including Wisconsin have been making significant budget cuts to tobacco prevention and control programs, Big Tobacco continues to spend big money to lure new customers and keep their current ones.

Big Tobacco spends more than $1 million an hour to market their products in the U.S. – including $233 million a year on advertising in Wisconsin.

The financial payoff for running a Big Tobacco company and peddling its deadly products is also huge. In 2011, the three men at the helms of Big Tobacco in the U.S. had combined salaries of nearly $32 million.

Last year, Lorillard Inc. CEO Murray Kessler made $13 million, Altria Group CEO Michael E. Szymanczyk made $10.2 million and Reynolds American chief Daniel M. Delen made $8.5 million.

The salaries are as staggering as Big Tobacco’s destructive effects on human health.

Only New York, Florida and California spend more than $32 million a year on tobacco prevention – while 47 states and the District of Columbia spend less. 

If $32 million were put toward tobacco prevention budgets, we could double every single tobacco prevention budget in 16 states: Missouri, Tennessee, Rhode Island, Washington, Idaho, Kansas, New Jersey, Michigan, Georgia, Kentucky, Nebraska, Iowa, Vermont, South Dakota, Massachusetts and Maryland.  

Wisconsin spends $5.3 million a year on our state tobacco prevention and control program. If we invested those Big Tobacco salaries in Wisconsin, we would increase our state prevention funding by seven times. That would bring us closer to the $64 million a year the CDC recommends Wisconsin spend on tobacco prevention programs. 

The battle with Big Tobacco is far from over. Smoking kills nearly 8,000 people a year in Wisconsin and is the leading preventable cause of death. Two young smokers replace every person who dies of smoking each year and tobacco use has created a pediatric epidemic in the U.S.

We know we have a steep uphill battle. We can – we must – and we will – continue to fight against the Big Spending of Big Tobacco. 

Graphic Cigarette Warning Labels and Big Tobacco's Stall Tactics

Earlier this week, a federal judge ruled the FDA’s new graphic warning labels on cigarette packages violate Big Tobacco’s freedom of speech.

The decision is only one step in the legal process – the case will go on to appeal. But it is a small victory for Big Tobacco, awarding the industry’s continued aggressive and deceitful efforts to conceal the fatal health effects of smoking.

It's clear that Big Tobacco is using the courts as a stall tactic to keep effective new cigarette warning labels off their products as long as possible.

Starting this September, the FDA will require graphic warning labels to cover 50% of the front and 50% of the back of cigarette packages. The truthful, appalling labels will also be prominently featured in tobacco ads. The warnings will replace the small text-only cigarette warning labels that have not been updated since 1984.

This idea is not new. Many other countries, from Brazil to Russia, require similar graphic warnings on their cigarettes. Research from these countries shows these labels are an effective way to educate about the risks of smoking and discourage smoking. 

We need all the tools possible to further educate people about this deadly addiction and counteract the hundreds of millions of dollars the tobacco industry spends peddling their products to new and existing customers.

In Wisconsin alone, tobacco companies spend $233 million a year to market their lethal products to kids and adults – more than 40 times what the state spends on the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program ($5.3 million/year).

In case you forgot, smoking is still the leading cause of preventable death in Wisconsin and nearly 8,000 residents die each year from tobacco-related causes. Tobacco costs us over $4.5 billion a year in health care costs and lost productivity. That’s almost $2,000 per Wisconsin household!

The new cigarette warning labels will help relieve this tremendous burden on our kids, families, businesses and communities.

Let’s get these warning labels on our cigarette packages. In doing so, we’ll help the 70 percent of adult smokers who want to quit and we’ll prevent our kids from picking up this lifetime addiction. 

President Obama Shows His Support For Tobacco Use Prevention!

The American Cancer Society's Great American Smoke-Out took place yesterday, a day that encourages many people to quit smoking and lists the benefits of what quitting smoking can do for their lives after an hour, a day, a week, and so on.

The Obama Administration acknowledged this day yesterday as a reflection of the continuous support for preventing tobacco use the administration has shown over the past several years.

• The Obama Administration has granted the FDA the authority to ban candy- and fruit-flavored cigarettes, stop the marketing and selling of tobacco products to minors, and ban cigarette labels such as "light," which can be misleading.
• The Administration has also created a reform to give smokers the ability to use proven treatments by increasing insurance coverage through funding tobacco prevention programs.
• Cigarette tax also increased by 62 cents in 2009, among other tobacco taxes.

We applaud our government officials for their work in the area of tobacco. They show that they care not only for a healthy Wisconsin, but for a healthy America.

To view President Obama addressing the Great American Smokeout and discussing tobacco issues, view the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd-gboZJYZ0&feature=player_embedded&noredirect=1