Oneida Nation Casinos to Join WI going Smoke-Free

Casino-goers can breathe easier starting July 5 at two of the Oneida Nation's one-stop casions. This is a huge step forward for tribal nations as Oneida is the first to adopt a smoke-free policy.

The casinos that will be going smoke-free are the the Highway 54 and County Road E & EE One-Stops. They are intended to serve as a pilot program to possibly a much broader tribal wide smoking ban.

Check out the story online:
http://www.oneidanation.org/newspaper/page.aspx?id=9798

Bars vs Grocery Stores: See How WI Compares

A map was recently compiled of bars and grocery stores and WI as you can guess, falls into the "more bars that grocery stores" category.

To view the map, click the link below. Also, if you have a few moments, read some of the comments. Many are from people that used to or still live in Wisconsin.

http://flowingdata.com/2010/03/02/where-bars-trump-grocery-stores/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

-emily and lisa

US House Passes PACT Act Curbing Internet Tobacco Sales in Victory for Kids and Taxpayers

Voting 387 to 25, the U.S. House of Representatives today gave final congressional approval to the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act, legislation to curtail the growing sales of tax-evading, low-cost cigarettes and other tobacco products over the Internet and through the mail. Passage of this legislation is a milestone in the fight to keep kids from smoking and prevent tax evasion that costs state and federal taxpayers billions each year.

We applaud Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), the chief House sponsor, and Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI), the Senate sponsor, for their leadership and persistence in pursuing this legislation and winning its approval. The Senate unanimously approved the bill on March 11. We look forward to President Obama continuing his strong leadership on tobacco control by signing the PACT Act into law.

Thank Senator Herb Kohl for sponsoring an important piece of tobacco control legislation by sending him an email: http://kohl.senate.gov/contact.cfm

New Interactive Tobacco Policy Map Launched

Interactive Tool Will Provide Latest Data on State Smoking Laws and Tobacco Control Spending
A new interactive map from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will give policy-makers and advocates a nationwide picture of continuing state efforts on key tobacco control policies.

The “map” is actually three distinct maps, each focusing on a different aspect of tobacco policy: state-by-state breakdowns on smoke-free laws, cigarette tax rates and total tobacco control spending. The breakdowns include population, timeline and other information to help present a complete picture of each state’s efforts.

The new map uses data from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the Americans for Non-Smokers’ Rights and will be updated as new information becomes available. The tool is easily shareable by hyperlink or embeddable code.

View the map.
View the video: Five Questions with Michelle Larkin, Leader, Public Health Team, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

US Senate Passes PACT Act to regulate online tobacco sales

The Senate passed the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act yesterday by unanimous consent. The bill will now go back to the House, which passed a similar version 397-11. The PACT ACT requires Internet sellers of cigarettes and smokeless to do age and ID verification online at purchase and at delivery; makes cigarettes and smokeless nonmailable matter (with some minor sharply restricted exceptions); requires full tax payment to states and localities before delivery; sets high penalties for violations, and puts in place tough enforcement mechanisms states and localities can use. The PACT Act also gives state and local governments direct rights to enforce the Act against illegal Internet sellers in federal court (while protecting State and Tribal sovereignty and immunity rights).

The fact that the PACT Act has passed the Senate unanimously and passed the House 397-11 means it should be a new federal law quite soon. That should be very useful in rebutting the cigarette companies' claim that if states increase their cigarette tax rates smokers will simply go to the Internet to buy tax-free cigarettes. The PACT Act will quickly shut the door on that possibility, thereby protecting and increasing state cigarette tax revenues.

For more on what the PACT Act does, see our factsheet at: http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0361.pdf

For how state and local governments will benefit from the PACT Act, see the factsheet at: http://tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0292.pdf