Oshkosh Northwestern Editor Supports Statewide Smoke-Free Air

On November 13, the Oshkosh Northwestern printed an article about business-owners worries about a statewide smoke-free air law that could be passes in 2009. Alex Hummel, editor for the Northwestern, also commented on the issue on November 13:

TIME FOR STATE TO LEGISLATE SMOKING BAN
"Plain and simple, the time has come to enact an indoor smoking ban in Wisconsin. It's a public health matter that, left to individual communities to legislate, has created a counterproductive patchwork of bans around the state. Here, things have gotten tacky. The Fox Valley has become the model argument for a statewide ban, with Oshkosh, like Wisconsin, now the odd one out among the region's larger communities.

In 2004, Oshkosh voters endorsed a restaurant smoking ban: No smoking in places where food isthe dominant revenue generator. That was followed by Appleton's 2005 decision to ban smoking in all businesses, a citywide indoor ban including taverns. Last month, the city of Fond du Lac enacted its own citywide indoor smoking ban. So, the first to approve legislation in the region now has the least-stringent version on the books. Smoking law, in the north-to-south span of Lake Winnebago, is a hodge-podge of policy and rules.

Not only is a statewide ban politically inevitable, it is increasingly accepted by everyday residents. In early 2007, a statewide poll conducted by a team of firms found 64 percent of respondents to a random phone survey in favor of a statewide indoor smoking ban; 34 percent opposed it. In April, another poll found 69 percent support statewide. But let's not let facts get in the way.

Furthermore, Wisconsin is its own island, surrounded by Illinois' and Minnesota's statewide indoor smoking bans. Attempts to propose and approve a statewide ban here in the last year or two haven't cleared final hurdles, given our split legislature. But, now, with Democratic control of both houses of our state legislature, odds are a statewide smoking ban has a clear shot to passage.

So, let's get it done, take a healthy step forward and confront on the rest of the problems that confront Wisconsin. A prolonged debate on the inevitable is guaranteed to distract Wisconsin from what is now feared to be a $5 billion deficit and long-neglected reforms within education, corrections and general government.

Ultimately, Wisconsin would ban smoking indoors, not tobacco products, not smoking altogether. Lighting up outdoors, in your car or in your home will continue to be your call and, unfortunately, our collective burden."

Thank you Mr. Hummel for supporting this important health issue and taking a public stand!
If you'd like to thank Alex, his email is: ahummel@thenorthwestern.com