Tobacco Bar Bill Legislation -Senate

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Dear (name and title inserted automatically),

I’m reaching out as your constituent.  I work as a public health professional and am also a member of the Wisconsin Public Health Association and Wisconsin Association of Local Health Departments and Boards.
I am extremely concerned about SB 211- the Tobacco Bar Bill - that would weaken the highly successful Smoke Free Air Law and create a loophole.  These changes would weaken current clean indoor air protections and degrade decades of progress in reducing exposure to secondhand smoke and preventing tobacco use.

Tobacco is still the leading cause of preventable death and disease in Wisconsin, killing 7,850 residents each year. More than 19% of adults and 16.5% of high school students use tobacco products in Wisconsin.  On top of that, smoking costs our state more than $2.6 billion each year.  For 15 years, Wisconsin's smoke-free air law has prohibited smoking in indoor public places and  protected workers and customers. A loophole would undermine the law, create confusion, put people at risk of serious health issues, and force workers to choose between their health and a paycheck.

This bill would weaken Wisconsin’s smoke-free air law to allow cigar, brown cigarette and pipe tobacco smoking in so-called “tobacco bars.” Current law defines a tobacco bar as a tavern that generates 15 percent or more of its annual gross income from the sale of cigars and pipe tobacco. While that percentage may seem significant, small taverns could pass that threshold relatively easily with the sale of just a few high-end cigars.

Wisconsin would also have to create new procedures to track the location and revenue of tobacco bars. This would be logistically difficult, expensive for taxpayers, and could create new red tape for all taverns. I hope you are as concerned as I am about the unintended consequences to community health and safety and our smoke-free businesses as I am, after it's clear the Smoke Free Air Law has been a success over the last 15 years.