A poll released Tuesday showed a majority of Wisconsin residents favor a statewide smoking ban.

The poll found 69 percent supported a ban, up five percentage points from a year ago.

Smoking bans have recently passed in Eau Claire and Marshfield, Wis.

“The question is no longer if we will be smoke-free, it is now a question of timing,” Aaron Doeppers, Midwest regional director for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said in a statement.

Allison Miller, spokesperson for the American Cancer Society, said the poll shows broad support for a smoking ban across Wisconsin.

“Support spans across age groups and gender to protect workers against secondhand smoke,” Miller said.

According to Miller, the results of the poll are valid because the groups that conducted it are bipartisan and nationally respected.

The Mellman Group and Public Opinion Strategies conducted the poll, and the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and Smoke-Free Wisconsin commissioned the poll.

Miller said the groups commissioning the poll are not against smoking, but they favor protecting the health of workers. “We are thrilled about the results of the survey because it shows what we thought was true,” Alison Prange, Wisconsin government relations director for the American Cancer Society, said. According to Prange, the American Cancer Society experienced a total of 10,000 volunteers working to pass the ban.

State Sen. Roger Breske, D-Eland, previously stated his opposition to an immediate statewide ban. He said he favors a ban allowing businesses a period to gradually phase-in the plan. According to Sue Meinholz, chief of staff for Breske, he worked hard on a compromise regarding the ban throughout the regular legislative session.

Senate Democratic Leadership earlier stated they would not allow the bill to come to a full vote without Breske and ban supporters reaching an agreement. The Assembly also did not vote on the bill.

Safe Cigarette Bill Signed Gov. Jim Doyle signed a bill Tuesday requiring cigarettes sold in the state to be fire-safe.

The bill would help to prevent accidental fires from cigarettes left unattended because they would be made with a special paper.

State Sen. Judy Robson, D-Beloit, a former nurse, was an authors of the bill.