Top Takeaways:
- Wisconsin will not expand indoor cigar smoking after Gov. Tony Evers vetoed the bill on public-health grounds.
- The state’s 2010 indoor smoking ban and limited grandfathered cigar bar exemptions remain fully intact.
- Public-health groups strongly opposed the bill, while supporters argued it would enable new specialty businesses.
Wisconsin will not allow any new bars to permit indoor tobacco smoking after Governor Tony Evers vetoed legislation on Dec. 5 that would have expanded the number of licensed cigar bars in the state. The bill was among several measures sent to Evers by the Legislature and rejected last week.
The proposal would have permitted taverns to sell cigars and pipe tobacco for on-site use, as long as at least 15% of the establishment’s revenue came from cigar or pipe tobacco sales not generated by vending machines. Supporters argued that the measure would enable new businesses to operate under modern ventilation standards and provide patrons with more legal indoor smoking options.
In his veto message, Evers stated the measure would weaken Wisconsin’s smoke-free air protections and put workers and customers at risk of secondhand smoke.
“Wisconsin’s smoke-free air law was enacted over 15 years ago to ensure that everyone has the right to breathe clean air while at work and in public places,” Evers wrote. “This public policy was a critically important step forward for keeping kids, families, and communities healthier and safer, improving public health and, most importantly, saving thousands of lives.”
Evers also cited personal health reasons for rejecting the bill.
“As a former smoker and esophageal cancer survivor, I cannot in good conscience reverse course on that important step for public health, safety, and well-being by restoring indoor smoking in certain public spaces,” he said.
Under current law, only cigar bars that were already in operation in 2009—when Wisconsin enacted its indoor smoking ban—are permitted to continue allowing indoor tobacco smoking. The ban took effect in July 2010 and exempted a limited number of existing cigar bars from the prohibition.
As a result, smokers wanting to enjoy cigars or pipes indoors are limited to a few grandfathered locations statewide, including Shaker’s Cigar Bar and Maduro Cigar Bar.
The bill was introduced earlier in 2023 but did not reach Evers’ desk before that legislative session ended. Its revival this year faced strong opposition from public health groups, including the American Cancer Society Action Network, the American Heart Association, and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.
The groups warned during testimony that expanding cigar bars would lead to more public smoking and weaken enforcement of the state’s long-standing smoke-free workplace law. They also argued that employees in these establishments would face higher health risks.
Supporters of the bill argued that the measure was intended to promote small business growth and tourism, not to expand general smoking. They stated that new cigar bars would be required to install advanced air-purification systems to cut down on secondhand smoke exposure and provide regulated indoor options for adult consumers.
Evers’ veto completely blocks the legislation unless lawmakers try to override it, which would need a two-thirds vote in each chamber.
