Scheduled for Thursday, March 2, at 9 a.m., the first public hearing for Milwaukee citizens to voice their opinions about an ordinance that would prohibit smoking in all public places, has created a citywide energy to enact smoke-free policies. The hearing will take place at City Hall and the Public Safety Committee will gather citizen input before voting on the smoke-free ordinance at the close of the hearing.

Local governments in Wisconsin have already enacted 24 smoke-free ordinances and 2,129 municipalities in the U.S. have local laws in effect that restrict where smoking is allowed. Major metropolitan areas including Chicago, New York City, Washington D.C., Boston, Miami, Minneapolis and Dallas have already passed smoke-free laws, and many more are in progress.

"We have worked diligently over several years to educate the Milwaukee community about the harmful and deadly effects of second-hand smoke," says Dr. Patricia McManus, spokesperson for the Smoke Free Milwaukee Project (SFMP) and the executive director of the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin. "Of course, the health of our communities is our first priority. Now that the hearing has been scheduled, this will be a good chance for our public officials to hear how much of a priority it is for their constituents, as well."

To date, SFMP continues to receive support from various organizations whose data also show the need for a smoke-free policy in Milwaukee. Major supporters include The American Cancer Society, The American Lung Association of Wisconsin, The American Heart Association and Smoke Free Wisconsin.

The Smoke Free Milwaukee Project is an initiative of the Wisconsin Ethnic Network Collaborative (WENC).