Smoke-Free Air

To report non-compliance, visit http://www.wibettersmokefree.com/violation

Every year on July 5th Wisconsin celebrates a very important birthday as Wisconsin's state smoke free air law turns another year older. With each passing year, our businesses continue to enjoy cleaner indoor air with healthier employees and customers.

It is hard to believe that smoking conventional cigarettes used to be the norm in our bars and restaurants. Do you remember going out to dinner and having to deal with a smoke-filled room and coming home smelling like smoke? Does it make you homesick for Wisconsin after traveling to another state that doesn't have a smoke free air law in place? Going through restaurants, airports, etc. that allow smoking seems so foreign, it's almost like visiting another planet!

Thanks to our Wisconsin Smoke Free Air Law, the kids of tomorrow will be shocked that smoking was once allowed in restaurants, workplaces, and airplanes.

Thank you to the Wisconsin lawmakers that passed the landmark legislation and the Wisconsin residents that fought to make it a reality. Wisconsin truly is better smoke free. To learn more about the smoke-free air law or to report a violation, visit wibettersmokefree.com.

The smoke-free air law covers all indoor areas where employees or the public gather. This includes restaurants, taverns, bowling centers, private clubs, retail establishments, and all other enclosed places of employment or public places. Smoking will also be prohibited at sports arenas of all kinds, such as Lambeau Field, public swimming pools, and any other structure used for sporting events. Sports arenas must be smoke-free regardless of whether or not they fit the definition of an enclosed space.

  • Taverns

  • Restaurants

  • Hotels, Motels, Bed & Breakfasts

  • Sports arenas

  • Private clubs

  • Educational facilities

  • Correctional facilities

  • Government buildings

  • Health and medical facilities

  • Inpatient healthcare facilities

  • Common areas of multi-unit apartment buildings

  • Residence halls of college and university campuses

  • Child care centers

  • Theatres

  • State institutions

  • Public Transportation

  • All other enclosed workplaces and enclosed places where the public are invite

1 Year Later, 75% of Wisconsinites Support

the Smoke-free Air Law

Madison, Wis., June 30, 2011—The state’s smoke-free air law is more popular now than ever before, according to a new poll released Thursday. The poll, conducted by the nationally recognized polling firm Public Opinion Strategies, found 75 percent of people support or strongly support the law, up from 69 percent in 2008 when the legislature was still debating the issue.

Statewide Smoke-free Air Highlights:

    • 75% of Wisconsin voters surveyed say they support the statewide smoke-free air law

    • 91% say they go out the same or more often now that bars and restaurants are smoke-free

    • 64% of respondents go out to bars or restaurants at least once a week

    • 85% agree that secondhand smoke is a serious health hazard

    • 85% believe having smoke-free bars and restaurants is important

    • 78% say the law is working well

    • 66% of Republicans, 74% of Democrats and 80% of Independents support the law

The full poll can be viewed at: http://bit.ly/1yrsmokefreepoll

A video of bar owners across the state sharing their thoughts about the law can be seen at:http://bit.ly/smokefreebars

Study shows Statewide Law Associated with Improved Bartender Health!

The Impact of Wisconsin's Statewide Smoke-Free Law on Bartender Health and Attitudes, a study of 531 Wisconsin bartenders before and after Wisconsin enacted its statewide smoking ban, shows eight smoking-related upper respiratory health symptoms were reduced by as much as 36%. A baseline survey was conducted two months before the ban went into effect, with a follow-up survey conducted three to six months after the state law.

The study included urban and rural areas of Wisconsin and was limited to bartenders who worked in establishments that allowed smoking before the law and were smoke-free after the statewide ban.

Bar and Restaurant Air Quality Improves After Smoke-Free Law Enactment!

The report on the effects of the smoke-free law on air quality in bars and restaurants was released Dec 15, 2010. The study shows a 92% improvement in unhealthy air after the smoke-free law went into effect.

View from the report at http://sep.uwcarbone.wisc.edu/. There is data from most counties in the state. There is a table with numeric data and two sets of graphs; one with the average for the county and a second set with the minute-by-minute readings.

The data does not describe the condition of all bars and restaurants in the county but only the establishments that were tested. As part of our MJC, Winnebago, Kewaunee and Manitowoc establishments were tested.