Pay for Play Politics - How Big Tobacco is Influencing WI Politicians

The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign just released some interesting findings about one Wisconsin legislator's $7500 day this Feb. 16. Read their post here to see how Big Tobacco is dumping money into our state to influence legislation!

http://www.wisdc.org/pr091608.php

China’s addiction to nicotine? Staggering—Beijing’s smoke-free Olympics? Admirable

Since Beijing hosted the 2008 summer Olympics, you’ve probably heard quite a bit about the world’s largest country; but here’s something you might not know. Check out China’s addiction to nicotine:

• 350 million smokers
• Six in 10 men smoke regularly
• 1,000,000 people die of smoking-related diseases every year

Yet even China- addicted to cigarettes like no other country on Earth- has passed a smoke-free law for public spaces. On May 30, the health ministry announced the entire Olympic games and Beijing, China's Capitol city, would be smoke-free. Beijing’s residents, Olympic athletes, spectators, and officials from all over the world all breathed easier this summer.

Thanks to some forward thinking by Chinese health officials, the only smoke at the Olympic games came off the sprinters' shoes.

A Clean Bill of Public Health

If you've been keyed into the exciting news in Pennsylvania, you will notice the air is finally being cleared in PA. That's right Pennsylvania is the most recent state to enact a smoke-free law. Some of the links below feature stories on this important piece of legislation.

Article from WPXI

Article from NBC10


What you will see in these articles is that the statewide law is complex and to some confusing. The law, while moving towards protecting all workers from the dangers of second-hand smoke- will NOT protect all workers. People will not be fully protected in all public places. It is exemptions like the ones in the PA law that creates a situation where people do not know where they are protected and where they are not. Its time for ALL hospitality workers to be protected from secondhand smoke. Strong smoke free laws are easier to enforce and create equity among all workplaces and public places.
Wisconsin needs a clean bill of public health, that means a need for a strong statewide smoke free law! No exemptions, no delays!

Success in California

Photo Credit: Ben Heine
A recent peer-reviewed study shows that California's tobacco control program has saved billions in health care costs just within its first fifteen years. The full article can be viewed at http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0050178

The study examined cigarette consumption, tobacco control expenditures, and health care costs in the years between 1980 and 2004. The most telling finding is that 86 billion dollars were saved in the first fifteen years of the program. The health care cost reductions observed were substantial, rapid, and grew over time. The savings in health care costs were fifty times what the program expenditures were!

California's program is unique in the sense that it focuses on media campaigns and policy which specifically target adults instead of teens and youth. Hopefully this report will be the proof that Wisconsin needs to ensure a well funded tobacco prevention and control program. This study shows that tobacco control programs not only reduce smoking and prevent disease, but also quickly and significantly reduce health care costs.

Spotted - warning labels in Europe