H 32°, L 7° | Tomorrow: 
H 17°, L 4°Residents of Marshfield — the latest community to take up local smoking ordinances following the state Legislature’s failure to address a statewide ban this session — voted Tuesday to ban smoking in bars and restaurants in their city.
“We’re very happy tonight,” said Breathe Free Marshfield Chairman Dave Wille. “We’ve worked hard at this since last fall. Marshfield, with the Marshfield clinic, of all places should keep the community smoke free.”
Since both sides felt strongly about the issue, Wille said they got a lot of new voters and voters who have not voted in a long time coming to the polls.
“We are having a big turnout,” Wille said. “I think this issue has overshadowed some of the other items, such as the mayor race.”
The Middleton City Council referred an ordinance to be drafted by the city attorney Tuesday night that would expand its current smoking ordinances to include taverns, according to Ald. James Wexler, District 4.
“I think there is overwhelming public support to cover all the business. We see it happening all over in other Dane County communities,” Wexler said. “I am a very strong supporter in moving in this direction, but it’s important that we are also working with the business community to make sure it is effective and not impose an unnecessary hardship. But the public interest and health is the greatest concern.”
A smoking ban went into effect Tuesday in the neighboring community of Fitchburg, but some businesses will have a three-year exemption.
General Manager Jason Cushman of Monkeyshines Bar said the exemption is nice, but he opposes smoking bans.
“It’ll help our business in the short term, but by 2011, I suspect there will be a statewide smoking ban,” Cushman said. “I think it’s wrong because it’s something that they haven’t made illegal nationwide. How can you outlaw that in a private business?”
Executive Director for Smoke Free Wisconsin Maureen Busalacchi said she thinks the ban will be a wonderful thing for the majority of the community.
“We’re always glad to see smoke free air laws go into effect. It’s a little disappointing that they exempted some businesses until 2011,” Busalacchi said.
A statewide smoking ban was proposed in the Legislature in both houses, but the opposing sides failed to reach a compromise after much debate before the end of business this session. This leads many communities to take action on this issue individually, according to Wille.
“What you’re seeing in cities like Marshfield is a result of the state not taking action,” Wille said. “Communities are stepping up and taking the bull by the horns.”
Busalacchi thinks the Legislature should still address the issue before their recess.
“They really aren’t done until May. They still have some days on the calendar, and I see no reason for the legislators to go home without dealing with this issue,” Busalacchi said.
Opponents of the ban, such as the Tavern League of Wisconsin Executive Director Pete Madland, say the ban hurts small businesses because it takes away their control of how to run their establishment and will result in declining sales.�
“Every state where there is a smoking ban, bars go out of business,” Madland said. “We feel that our members should be able to run their businesses as they see fit.”
According to Busalacchi, 33 municipalities in Wisconsin have some sort of smoke free ordinance.� Cities such as Madison, Appleton and recently Eau Claire have adopted complete workplace bans, though Eau Claire’s does not take effect until July 1.�
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— Beth Mueller contributed to this report.
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As much as I enjoy not reaking of smoke after a night on the town, I have to agree with the Tavern league… smoking bans should not be passed. If a private business wants to be smoke-free, it should be their decision - they should be able to do what is in the best interest of their business, and it is not just coincidence that the bars outside of the Madison smoking ban have been doing better since that ban passed…
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I have been researching Second Hand Smoke since 1998 and have read thousands of studies, articles and investigative reports. I have kept only the most respected and truthful. I have all the information needed to show what this push for smoking bans is all about. It�s about Power and Profit in the Billions, not Health.
All the Major studies, even the ones by the ACS and the WHO found no connection of SHS to cancer or heart disease. The WHO found that children of smoking households are 22% less likely to contract cancer because their immune systems were activated against tobacco smoke.
If a cure for Cancer were actually found the ACS and the Pharmaceuticals would all have a fit. The market would crash for Pills and patches. The American Cancer Society would implode. Millions are being spent to push the lies about SHS by such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which has spent over 500 million + to date.
The EPA, with their discredited study, and the hundreds of other agencies are doing the work for the World Tobacco Control Council. They keep the propaganda before the public every day with the help of our Major Media. They know, IF YOU LIE LONG ENOUGH AND OFTEN ENOUGH IT BECOMES THE TRUTH and once an opinion is formed, it is almost impossible to change.
We are all entitled to our opinions but we are not entitled to our own facts. We must depend on real Science and not just what we read and hear in the Media, which report only what, is politically correct. This daily reporting of false information is the major factor in how our opinions are formed.
The American Cancer Society is the worst. It pushes its agenda through its many grassroots groups it funds in every state and with the help of our Health Departments. The latest figures I found show they have over 900 MILLION DOLLARS IN CASH. They spend less that 2% of their yearly income on prevention research. The rest goes to salaries and funds to push Smoking Bans. Even universities get in on the money grab.
A U.S. Supreme court decision during the early 1970’s (Lloyd Corp v. Tanner, 407 U.S. 551 (1992)) said a place of business does not become public property because the public is invited in. By that same reasoning. A restaurant or bar is not public property just by being open to the public. We need to support small business and stop regulating them out of business.”, because of lies about health effects of SHS.
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If the public was honestly and truthfully informed about the effects of second-hand smoke, there would be fewer no-smoking laws in this country. A little smoke from a handful of crushed leaves and some paper that is mixed with the air of a decently ventilated venue is going to harm or kill you?
There has never been a single study showing that exposure to the low levels of smoke found in bars and restaurants with decent modern ventilation and filtration systems kills or harms anyone.
As to the annoyance of smoking, a compromise between smokers and non-smokers can be reached, through setting a quality standard and the use of modern ventilation technology.
Air ventilation can easily create a comfortable environment that removes not just passive smoke, but also and especially the potentially serious contaminants that are independent from smoking.
There are two reasons for smoking bans and neither of them are about health.
Quarantine/isolate the smoker.
De-normalize smoking.
Unfortunately, the hospitality industry is caught in the cross-fire.
Thomas Laprade