Oh, how far we've come...

Check out this old Camels ad! It's amazing this used to actually run in magazines and newspapers (certainly not in my lifetime, as I was a child of the 80s, but I'm sure many of you out there can recall ads like this).

The irony of the matter is doctors are now some of tobacco control's biggest advocates, which really makes sense; they have seen the toll of tobacco first hand, treating patients daily who suffer from our nation's number one cause of preventable death. In fact, the Wisconsin Medical Society is one of SB 150's major supporters. Looks like now the doctors' choice is smoke-free air --- and not Camels!

Are they serious?

The Legislative Fiscal Bureau released the Assembly Republicans version of the budget yesterday, which they will vote on today with the full Assembly (where Republicans have control 52-47). Like expected, they deleted the provision for a $1.25 increase, leaving the budget without any tax increase at all.

What was not expected was a 75% cut in the tobacco control program funding -- their budget has the program funding at a mere $2.5 million per year!

Obviously, we are appalled at the Assembly's actions; we had heard the program would be funded at $10 million under the Assembly version. We are going to make our voices heard loud and clear that this is not an effective policy for reducing the burden of tobacco in Wisconsin!

We'll keep you updated as more unfolds; the Assembly begins their budget session at 12:00pm today. Remember you can watch the action on www.wiseye.org or check here at the SFW blog.

One more reason for a smoke-free Wisconsin

It is amazing to me that there are some people, including legislators, who continue to believe that secondhand smoke isn't harmful. For those out there who need one more study that confirms what we already know about secondhand smoke, here it is:

A press release from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids summarized the results of a new study published in the next issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

Basically, the study, conducted by the Multnomah County Health Department and Oregon Department of Human Services, tracked 52 non-smoking employees from restaurants and bars in communities where smoking is still permitted and 32 non-smoking bar and restaurant employees from communities where smoking is prohibited by local ordinance. The study found that employees in establishments that allow smoking are significantly more likely to have detectable levels of the carcinogen NNK, which is known to cause lung cancer and is found in the body only as a result of using tobacco or breathing secondhand smoke. NNK levels increased by 6% for every hour of work.

Secondhand smoke is bad for workers in Oregon and it is bad for workers in Wisconsin. This study is just one more example of the clear evidence that proves that secondhand smoke, which causes cancer, heart disease, and other serious illnesses, has an immediate and negative effect on non-smokers' bodies. How much more information do we need before we do the right thing by making Wisconsin a healthy place for all workers? Once again, It's Time to Breathe Free Wisconsin!

A great job and so many reasons to keep working

Yesterday I went home to my parents' house to celebrate my brother's high school graduation. It was a chance for me to see relatives I usually only see at holidays and re-connect with some of my high school friends' parents. Inevitably, everyone was curious about my life after Wauwatosa. "Where are you working?" "What does SmokeFree Wisconsin do?"

I lost count of how many times I said, "I love my job." Seeing people's reactions to me talking about my work reminded me that I'm lucky to be working in a field I'm passionate about and even luckier to be working with people who contribute to my continued learning on a daily basis. I also think talking out loud about the lives we can save through good public health policy reenergized me for the fight ahead this summer.

My conversations with friends and relatives also resulted in me hearing more stories about the different ways tobacco has affected my community. Wauwatosa has a smoke-free ordinance that covers many restaurants, but exempts bars. My friends' parents described the policy as "inconsistent," "confusing," and "inadequate." My aunt and I got into a conversation about the way Big Tobacco blatantly targets young kids and minority populations. I told her about the latest ploy to hook girls and young women on cigarettes with the Camel No. 9 campaign. It's unbelievable how dishonest the tobacco industry is in its marketing strategies.

I encouraged everyone I talked to yesterday to keep telling their stories to other people and to their legislators - their stories will be one of the reasons Wisconsin goes smoke-free and will provide our senators and representatives with reasons to fund the state's tobacco prevention and control program at a level close to what the CDC recommends.

If you have a story to tell, please visit our Share Your Story webpage and let us know. And please keep telling your story to other people too!

The truth about the tax and Native American reservations

I have read many news articles and editorials that claim that the $1.25 increase in the cigarette and tobacco products tax will fail because consumers will simply drive to Native American reservations to purchase these products. I'd like to clear up this misconception.

People can choose to drive to reservations to purchase these products, but the time and gas money might not be worth it; they'll likely be required to pay the same price as they would at their local corner store. Currently, many Native American retailers on reservation and trust lands collect Wisconsin's tobacco tax and send it to the state. In other words, a pack of cigarettes costs the same whether you're on or off the reservation. The difference lies in how the Department of Revenue (DOR) treats the tax once it has been paid. Wisconsin statutes require that the DOR refund most of the collected taxes back to the tribes. It's a full (100%) refund for packs bought by tribal members and a 70% refund for packs bought by non-tribal members. For other tobacco products it's a 100% refund for tribal members and a 50% refund for non-tribal members. Consumers pay the tax, but the tribes eventually recoup those taxes through the refund system. This way, there's no incentive for Native American retailers to sell non-taxed tobacco products. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau's paper on the cigarette and other tobacco products tax was really helpful in explaining this aspect of the tax in detail.

It should also be pointed out that in addition to the ability of Native American retailers to collect the Wisconsin tobacco tax, the majority of people will continue to purchase cigarettes just as they always have: at the corner store or supermarket where they regularly shop. To read more about research and statistics related to this issue, click here.

An increase in the cigarette tax will work for Wisconsin - the state will get more tax revenue to help offset the cost that smokers incur through Medicaid and other programs, some smokers will decide to quit or cut back on how much they smoke, and fewer kids will start smoking.