The American Cancer Society is still willing to talk, on the future of a smoking ban in Wisconsin. State Sen. Roger Breske (D-Eland) appeared to pound the final nail in the coffin during remarks at the Capitol on Wednesday . Allison Prange with the American Cancer Society says it’s true, they could not support Breske’s compromise: “there were a couple of things that were in that proposal, we have real issues with as an organization.”
Problems include separately ventilated smoking rooms, preemption of local ordinances, and of course the phase in for taverns. Prange says two years ought to be long enough. “We understand that a compromise is necessary, and we’ve been talking to a lot of legislators, but three and a half years is just too long,” says Prange. She says a statewide smoking ban has been in discussion since 2005 — so tavern owners have known its coming. Still, Prange insists the Cancer Society is not giving up, and remains optimistic that a compromise can be reached.
