The director of Five Counties for Tobacco Free Living says a new report that shows adult smoking rates dropping in Wisconsin is excellent news but not surprising. Sandy Bernier says the numbers had been stagnant for quite a while so to see any decrease in adult smokingrates is good news. “I think the combination of increasing the cigarette tax and our smoke free air laws and getting information out there about our Wisconsin Quit Line has made a big difference,” Bernier told WFDL news. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services report shows the adult smoking rate in Wisconsin is 18 percent, a two percent drop from 2013 and the lowest on record. Bernier says the concern is that 33 percent of low income residents or those who have less than a high school degree still smoke. Bernier says a drop in tobacco sales to young people from 7.3 perent of retailers in 2013 to 6.4 percent in 2014 is significant.
