Wisconsin Cigar Lounge Ban: Restoring Local Choice & Free-Market Competition
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Wisconsin Cigar Lounge Ban: Restoring Local Choice & Free-Market Competition
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About this listen
On this episode of American Potential, host David From sits down with Ethan Sanchez (Grassroots Engagement Director, Americans for Prosperity–Wisconsin) and Marine Corps veteran Jim Thompson to unpack a little-known piece of Wisconsin law: it’s illegal to open a new cigar lounge in the state.
Because of Wisconsin’s Clean Indoor Air Act, only a handful of pre-2009 cigar lounges are allowed to operate—creating a de facto state-protected monopoly and shutting out entrepreneurs like Jim, who has a full business plan, funding, and community impact model ready to go.
Ethan and Jim explain:
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How Wisconsin’s smoking ban grandfathered old lounges but banned new ones
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Why modern lounges in other states have far better air purification and cleaner environments
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How the new bill (SB/AB 211) would not force lounges on any town, but simply return the decision to local communities
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What this change would mean for jobs, tax revenue, and cigar lovers who just want a place to gather and build real relationships
If you care about entrepreneurship, local control, and letting adults make adult choices, this conversation will light you up like a good cigar.