Celebrating Smoke-Free Anniversaries in Colorado and Wisconsin
July 06, 2011
Several states are celebrating anniversaries of their smoke-free laws this week, and they’re demonstrating once again that these laws protect health, don’t hurt business and are very popular with the public.
Colorado is celebrating the fifth anniversary of its smoke-free law that includes all restaurants and bars. According to The Gazette of Colorado Springs, 'Business at Colorado restaurants is up considerably. The only statewide downward trends are in numbers of smokers, heart attacks and lung problems.'
Dan Grossman, the former state senator who sponsored the 2006 Clean Indoor Air Act, told The Gazette, 'The parade of horrors about bars closing has proven to be completely false. And we changed the lives of workers and the health of the state for the better.'
There is similar news from Wisconsin, which is marking the one-year anniversary of its smoke-free law. A new poll by SmokeFree Wisconsin shows that 75 percent of voters support the law, up from 69 percent in 2008 when it was being debated.
State Rep. Jon Richards, lead co-sponsor of the law, calls it 'a roaring success' in an op-ed in The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. He points out that the law has significantly improved air quality in bars and restaurants, bartenders have reported a 36 percent decline in respiratory symptoms associated with secondhand smoke, and the evidence to date shows no negative economic impact from the law.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a past critic of the law, now says he will not try to change it: 'Although I did not support the original smoking ban, after listening to people across the state, it is clear to me that it works.'
It’s no wonder that 29 states, Washington, DC, and more than 600 U.S. cities have now enacted smoke-free laws that include restaurants and bars. And it’s time for the remaining states to join in protecting everyone’s right to breathe clean air.