Keep breathing easy, Wisconsin - Tuesday marks the one-year anniversary of the statewide ban on smoking in bars and restaurants.
Since the law took effect July 5, 2010, most Wisconsinites, including former detractor Gov. Scott Walker, have grown to accept or have embraced the ban.
A survey released last week by advocacy group SmokeFree Wisconsin found that 75% of respondents supported the ban, up from 69% in 2008 when state lawmakers were still debating the issue.
"It's healthier now for me and my staff," said Michael Charles, manager of Beer Belly's restaurant at S. 5th St. and W. Layton Ave. "When you go home you don't reek like cigarettes anymore - I like that."
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Even Walker concedes the ban is here to stay, saying last week that he won't attempt to change the current law. In the 2010 gubernatorial
campaign, Walker criticized the ban for infringing on the rights of private business.
"Although I did not support the original smoking
ban, after listening to people across the state, it is
clear to me that it works. Therefore I will not
support a repeal," Walker said in a statement.
The SmokeFree survey shows the smoking ban enjoys support across partisan lines, with 66% of Republicans, 74% of Democrats and 80% of independents saying they favored the law.
More than 90% of the 500 likely voters polled in mid-June say they go out to eat and drink the same or more often now that the state is smoke-free. The poll was conducted by a nonpartisan national polling firm Public Opinion Strategies.
"The ban hasn't hurt business at all," said Derek Stamates, a manager at Tracks Tavern and Grille in Riverwest. "We've seen more families with kids coming in. It didn't drive anyone away."
After Wisconsin became the 27th state to enact a smoking ban, the law initially upset some bar owners and patrons but has seen little controversy since.
Figures from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services show that nearly 600 businesses statewide were named in complaints from last July through early June.
The number of smoking complaints has declined significantly in the past 11 months, according to records from the state Health Services department. The data show that complaints increased in the winter months, but hit an all-time low in May.
Economically, state records show bars and restaurants haven't been hurt.
State sales tax collections
overall in food and
beverage establishments
increased $4.1 million,
or about 1%,
from 2009 to 2010,
data from the
Wisconsin Department of Revenue show.
Advocates see this as
proof that the ban hasn't diminished business.
Also, a study from the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center released earlier this year found municipalities that enacted municipal smoke-free ordinances ahead of the statewide ban showed no adverse economic effects.
The number of alcohol licenses in the municipalities studied, which included Appleton, Eau Claire, Madison and Shorewood, remained constant before and after the ordinances went into effect.
Critics say law hurt bars
Still, opponents say that the ban has hurt the bottom line for hundreds of bars and restaurants across the state.
Pete Madland, executive director of the Tavern League of Wisconsin, said his organization has lost nearly 170 members, or more than 3% of its membership. He attributes this in part to the smoking ban.
"We warned people that businesses would close and jobs would be lost," Madland said. "If I spoke to 100 members, maybe two or three would say business has been as good or better since the smoking ban started."
While health advocates point to research that smoking bans don't affect the bottom line of bars and restaurants, Madland disagrees.
"Wisconsin is unique - no other state has so many taverns per capita, and we knew the effect of the ban would be magnified in Wisconsin," he said. "They can say what they want; all I know is my members are hurting. . . . I don't know how long it will take to recover, if we will recover."
At King Pins bar in St. Francis, owner James Babcock said his revenue has declined some.
"I had a couple of people who just quit coming in," Babcock said. "In a way, I'm happy they can't smoke in here, because it's healthier and cleaner in the bar. I just think the government is taking more and more of our rights away."
Just as important as a bar's bottom line is the health of its customers and employees, said Maureen Busalacchi, executive director of SmokeFree Wisconsin.
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"You have healthier workers and healthier workplaces, so it's a real positive," Busalacchi said. "You go to a bar for a lot of reasons - for the food, for the company, for the drinks. Now you can have clean air, too."
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