Tobacco use* remains the #1 cause of death in Wisconsin.
Center for Urban Population Health University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. (2019, p.B1). Tobacco Facts: Consumption, Mortality, and Morbidity. Retrieved from http://www.cuph.org/uploads/2/5/8/5/25855930/tobacco_consumption_mortality_morbidity_2019_final.pdf
$156 Million - Tobacco industry’s spend on marketing alone vs. $5.3 Million WI’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Funding. Wisconsin spends less than one-tenth what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends.
Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. (2022). Retrieved from https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/problem/toll-us/wisconsin
$4.72 Billion - Tobacco costs Wisconsin $4.72 billion in health care and lost productivity.
Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. (2022). Retrieved from https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/problem/toll-us/wisconsin
Those with mental health conditions or substance use disorders are more likely to suffer tobacco-related diseases such as cancer, lung disease, and cardiovascular disease.
American Lung Association. (2020) Behavioral Health & Tobacco Use. Retrieved from https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/smoking-facts/impact-of-tobacco-use/behavioral-health-tobacco-use
*This document focuses on commercial tobacco - mass-produced products sold for profit that contain chemical additives. Native Americans have used traditional tobacco in sacred ways for centuries. By focusing tobacco prevention and control on commercial tobacco, we acknowledge and respect sovereign tribal nations’ relationship with sacred tobacco.
Keep It Sacred, National Native Network. (2014) Sacred Traditional Tobacco for Healthy Native Communities Fact Sheet. Retrieved from https://keepitsacred.itcmi.org/tobacco-and-tradition/traditional-tobacco-use/
Projects funded by Wisconsin’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Program are making strides in addressing tobacco use in Wisconsin.
Center for Urban Population Health University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. (2019, p.A1). Tobacco Facts: Consumption, Mortality, and Morbidity. Retrieved from http://www.cuph.org/uploads/2/5/8/5/25855930/tobacco_consumption_mortality_morbidity_2019_final.pdf
Local tobacco prevention alliances throughout the state work to address the tobacco epidemic in partnership with schools and other community partners.
The new Live Vape Free program also addresses the teen vaping epidemic by helping teens quit and education on the health impacts of vaping.
Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line. (2022). Live Vape Free. Retrieved from https://quitline.wisc.edu/livevapefree/
Local tobacco prevention networks outreach to people of faith and other stakeholders for No Menthol Sunday. This includes engaging faith leaders and their congregations through sermons and events and encouraging retailers not to sell menthol.
The Center for Black Health and Equity, Faith-based Initiatives. (2022). No Menthol Sunday Toolkit. Retrieved from https://www.jumpatthesunllc.com/nms.html
Wisconsinites have access to limited quit services through the Wisconsin Quit Line and the Wisconsin American Indian Quit Line.
Medicaid recipients are also encouraged to utilize the Medicaid program’s basic tobacco cessation benefits.
University of Wisconsin-Madison, UW-Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention. (2020) Tobacco Fact Sheets. Medicaid - BadgerCare and Quitting Tobacco. Retrieved from https://ctri.wisc.edu/fact-sheets/quit-tobacco-series-fact-sheet-3-medicaid-badgercare/?_gl=1*qg5k4d*_ga*MTY2NTI3Nzg5OC4xNjUxMTY0MDEw*_ga_CCPC2N69Q1*MTY3MTcyMjE2My42LjEuMTY3MTcyMjgyMS4wLjAuMA
The Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation’s First Breath program helps pregnant and postpartum Wisconsinites quit.
Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation. (2021) First Breath Annual Report. Retrieved from https://wwhf.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2021-First-Breath-Annual-Report-FINAL.pdf
The environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, and worship have a major impact on people's health, well-being, and quality of life.
Healthy People 2030. (2022). Social Determinants of Health. Retrieved from https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health
In Wisconsin, tobacco retailers are more likely to sell products near playgrounds and schools in low-income communities than in more affluent neighborhoods.
Wisconsin Department of Health Services. (2018). Tobacco is Changing: See how menthol damages vulnerable communities. [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p02040c.pdf
Exposure to retail marketing is linked to kids starting to use tobacco, and it makes it harder for smokers to quit as it normalizes tobacco use, triggers impulse purchase and discourages quit attempts.
Center for Public Health Systems Science. Point-of-Sale Strategies: A Tobacco Control Guide. St. Louis: Center for Public Health Systems Science, George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis and the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium; 2014
Wisconsin’s rate of smoking during pregnancy exceeds the national average.
Center for Urban Population Health University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. (2022, p. 1). Tobacco Facts: Smoking During Pregnancy. Retrieved from https://d3futrf33lk36a.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/240/2020/05/smoking_during_pregnancy_WIMay2020.pdf
Smoking during pregnancy and secondhand smoke exposure during childhood increase risks of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), asthma, ear infections and other preventable illnesses.
Wisconsin Department of Health Services. (2020). Smoking during pregnancy is still a problem in Wisconsin. [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p02394.pdf
The Tobacco Industry uses flavors to target youth, LGBTQ+ and communities of color.
Menthol is easier to start and harder to quit because of its soothing and cooling effect, and it is the only cigarette flavor still allowed on the market.
American Lung Association. (2022). What is menthol? Retrieved from https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/smoking-facts/health-effects/what-is-menthol
Menthol has been targeted toward African Americans for decades. Wisconsin’s Black neighborhoods are also exposed to almost twice as much outdoor tobacco advertising compared to white neighborhoods.
Tobwis. (2022). Menthol Toolkit. Retrieved from https://tobwis.org/toolkits/menthol-toolkit/
In 2018, 51% of lesbian and gay smokers and 46% of bisexual smokers used menthol cigarettes, compared with 39% of heterosexual smokers.
Truth Initiative. (2022). Menthol: Facts, stats, and regulations. Retrieved from https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/traditional-tobacco-products/menthol-facts-stats-and-regulations?utm_source=Truth+Initiative+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=098ce0514e-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_04_28_04_51&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c91fd8a5c5-098ce0514e-86527704
It’s too easy for kids to get their hands on flavored products
Many of the popular flavored e-cigarette brands remain on the market.
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (2022). Retrieved from: https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/what-we-do/industry-watch/e-cigarettes
Little cigars are often kept in front of the counter near chips and candy and are sold as singles for less than a dollar in Wisconsin’s rural and urban counties. These products also come in a variety of fruit and candy flavors.
Wisconsin Department of Health Services. (2019) Wisconsin Retail Assessment Project 2017-2019. Retrieved from https://www.tobaccofreewisconsin.org/retail-assessment.html
Center for Urban Population Health University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. (2019, p.B1). Tobacco Facts: Consumption, Mortality, and Morbidity. Retrieved from http://www.cuph.org/uploads/2/5/8/5/25855930/tobacco_consumption_mortality_morbidity_2019_final.pdf
$156 Million - Tobacco industry’s spend on marketing alone vs. $5.3 Million WI’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Funding. Wisconsin spends less than one-tenth what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends.
Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. (2022). Retrieved from https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/problem/toll-us/wisconsin
$4.72 Billion - Tobacco costs Wisconsin $4.72 billion in health care and lost productivity.
Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. (2022). Retrieved from https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/problem/toll-us/wisconsin
Those with mental health conditions or substance use disorders are more likely to suffer tobacco-related diseases such as cancer, lung disease, and cardiovascular disease.
American Lung Association. (2020) Behavioral Health & Tobacco Use. Retrieved from https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/smoking-facts/impact-of-tobacco-use/behavioral-health-tobacco-use
*This document focuses on commercial tobacco - mass-produced products sold for profit that contain chemical additives. Native Americans have used traditional tobacco in sacred ways for centuries. By focusing tobacco prevention and control on commercial tobacco, we acknowledge and respect sovereign tribal nations’ relationship with sacred tobacco.
Keep It Sacred, National Native Network. (2014) Sacred Traditional Tobacco for Healthy Native Communities Fact Sheet. Retrieved from https://keepitsacred.itcmi.org/tobacco-and-tradition/traditional-tobacco-use/
Projects funded by Wisconsin’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Program are making strides in addressing tobacco use in Wisconsin.
Center for Urban Population Health University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. (2019, p.A1). Tobacco Facts: Consumption, Mortality, and Morbidity. Retrieved from http://www.cuph.org/uploads/2/5/8/5/25855930/tobacco_consumption_mortality_morbidity_2019_final.pdf
Local tobacco prevention alliances throughout the state work to address the tobacco epidemic in partnership with schools and other community partners.
- Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. (2019) Wisconsin School Tobacco Prevention Resources. Retrieved from https://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/aoda/tobacco-program
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services. (2021) Tobacco Prevention and Control Program: Local Efforts. Retrieved from https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/tobacco/community.htm
The new Live Vape Free program also addresses the teen vaping epidemic by helping teens quit and education on the health impacts of vaping.
Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line. (2022). Live Vape Free. Retrieved from https://quitline.wisc.edu/livevapefree/
Local tobacco prevention networks outreach to people of faith and other stakeholders for No Menthol Sunday. This includes engaging faith leaders and their congregations through sermons and events and encouraging retailers not to sell menthol.
The Center for Black Health and Equity, Faith-based Initiatives. (2022). No Menthol Sunday Toolkit. Retrieved from https://www.jumpatthesunllc.com/nms.html
Wisconsinites have access to limited quit services through the Wisconsin Quit Line and the Wisconsin American Indian Quit Line.
- Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line. (2022) Retrieved from https://quitline.wisc.edu/
- Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line. (2022) American Indian Program. Retrieved from https://quitline.wisc.edu/american-indian-program/
Medicaid recipients are also encouraged to utilize the Medicaid program’s basic tobacco cessation benefits.
University of Wisconsin-Madison, UW-Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention. (2020) Tobacco Fact Sheets. Medicaid - BadgerCare and Quitting Tobacco. Retrieved from https://ctri.wisc.edu/fact-sheets/quit-tobacco-series-fact-sheet-3-medicaid-badgercare/?_gl=1*qg5k4d*_ga*MTY2NTI3Nzg5OC4xNjUxMTY0MDEw*_ga_CCPC2N69Q1*MTY3MTcyMjE2My42LjEuMTY3MTcyMjgyMS4wLjAuMA
The Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation’s First Breath program helps pregnant and postpartum Wisconsinites quit.
Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation. (2021) First Breath Annual Report. Retrieved from https://wwhf.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2021-First-Breath-Annual-Report-FINAL.pdf
The environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, and worship have a major impact on people's health, well-being, and quality of life.
Healthy People 2030. (2022). Social Determinants of Health. Retrieved from https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health
In Wisconsin, tobacco retailers are more likely to sell products near playgrounds and schools in low-income communities than in more affluent neighborhoods.
Wisconsin Department of Health Services. (2018). Tobacco is Changing: See how menthol damages vulnerable communities. [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p02040c.pdf
Exposure to retail marketing is linked to kids starting to use tobacco, and it makes it harder for smokers to quit as it normalizes tobacco use, triggers impulse purchase and discourages quit attempts.
Center for Public Health Systems Science. Point-of-Sale Strategies: A Tobacco Control Guide. St. Louis: Center for Public Health Systems Science, George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis and the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium; 2014
Wisconsin’s rate of smoking during pregnancy exceeds the national average.
Center for Urban Population Health University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. (2022, p. 1). Tobacco Facts: Smoking During Pregnancy. Retrieved from https://d3futrf33lk36a.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/240/2020/05/smoking_during_pregnancy_WIMay2020.pdf
Smoking during pregnancy and secondhand smoke exposure during childhood increase risks of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), asthma, ear infections and other preventable illnesses.
Wisconsin Department of Health Services. (2020). Smoking during pregnancy is still a problem in Wisconsin. [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p02394.pdf
The Tobacco Industry uses flavors to target youth, LGBTQ+ and communities of color.
Menthol is easier to start and harder to quit because of its soothing and cooling effect, and it is the only cigarette flavor still allowed on the market.
American Lung Association. (2022). What is menthol? Retrieved from https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/smoking-facts/health-effects/what-is-menthol
Menthol has been targeted toward African Americans for decades. Wisconsin’s Black neighborhoods are also exposed to almost twice as much outdoor tobacco advertising compared to white neighborhoods.
Tobwis. (2022). Menthol Toolkit. Retrieved from https://tobwis.org/toolkits/menthol-toolkit/
In 2018, 51% of lesbian and gay smokers and 46% of bisexual smokers used menthol cigarettes, compared with 39% of heterosexual smokers.
Truth Initiative. (2022). Menthol: Facts, stats, and regulations. Retrieved from https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/traditional-tobacco-products/menthol-facts-stats-and-regulations?utm_source=Truth+Initiative+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=098ce0514e-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_04_28_04_51&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c91fd8a5c5-098ce0514e-86527704
It’s too easy for kids to get their hands on flavored products
Many of the popular flavored e-cigarette brands remain on the market.
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (2022). Retrieved from: https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/what-we-do/industry-watch/e-cigarettes
Little cigars are often kept in front of the counter near chips and candy and are sold as singles for less than a dollar in Wisconsin’s rural and urban counties. These products also come in a variety of fruit and candy flavors.
Wisconsin Department of Health Services. (2019) Wisconsin Retail Assessment Project 2017-2019. Retrieved from https://www.tobaccofreewisconsin.org/retail-assessment.html