The Goodman Center & Alcohol: Enough is Enough

Tonight the Madison Common Council will consider over-riding Mayor Soglin’s veto of the Goodman Community Center's liquor license application.

This debate isn’t just about the merits of granting a liquor license to this community center. Instead, it’s a symbolic decision about placing our community and state’s obsession with alcohol over the needs of our kids and families.

The Goodman Center is a tremendous asset to the Madison community. It is a safe place for troubled teens and kids and it is a resource for residents and families.

Members of the public perceive that the Goodman Center’s primary purpose is to serve the healthy development of children, youth, families, and seniors of the Madison area. That it opens its doors for private social events is an opportunity for the greater Madison area community to enjoy its space.

In Wisconsin, one of the most significant obstacles to the healthy development of our kids, families and seniors is alcohol.

Our community has serious alcohol problems. In Dane County, 200 people are taken to detox each month and 70-80% of arrests are alcohol-related. Wisconsin has the worst binge drinking rates in the country – one fourth of our residents binge drink at the average rate of nine drinks a sitting.

We are drowning in alcohol. You can get alcohol everywhere in Madison – from our drug and grocery stores to our hundreds of cafes, bars and liquor stores. Enough is enough!

Alcohol should not be on-premises at the Goodman Center. The Goodman Center can – and should – work to develop more responsible caterers if it wishes to continue serving alcohol at its private events. We don’t need our community centers to purchase, store and serve alcohol – instead we need our neighborhood centers to focus on promoting the health and wellness of the community.

Our teens and kids are already exposed to too much alcohol in this state and they deserve to have a community center that isn’t doused in liquor. The Goodman Center will be better-positioned to fulfill its role in promoting healthy youth and a healthy community without a liquor license.

The Madison Common Council should vote to keep the Mayor's veto in place. By doing so, our Alders will send a message that our city values healthy communities over access to alcohol.

E-Hookah- coming to a Store Near You!

We learned today that 7-Eleven is partnering with a company called Xhale 02 to distribute e-Hookah electronic cigarette products in stores across the U.S.

The rise of e-Hookah and other electronic cigarette products is another tactic for the tobacco industry to hook new users and sell more products by developing trendy, candy-flavored products.

E-Hookah claims to not contain any nicotine. But it does contain glycerin. As with many of the products in e-cigarettes, we don’t know very much about glycerin or the other chemicals in e-Hookah. We certainly don’t know much about its potential health risks. A quick internet search shows that glycerol is used in everything from cough syrups to laxatives, to snus.

Traditional hookah use has been linked to cancers (lung, oral, bladder), heart disease and other health risks including Tuberculosis and skin and tooth problems. We don’t know how e-Hookah will harm your health, and that’s a scary thing.

E-Hookah comes in a range of candy-like flavors: chocolate, vanilla, grape, peach, lemon-mint, watermelon, strawberry and blueberry. E-Hookah is also designed to look like a cigarette. The website brags that “an orange-colored light is often chosen for its visual resemblance to actual burning tobacco in the front of the cigarette.”

E-cigarettes are not safe. They also confuse people who see someone smoking with an e-cigarette and decide it’s OK to light up.

While Wisconsin does not have any 7-Eleven stores, we can be assured that e-Hookah will be here soon. Xhale 02’s website promises they “are continuously expanding into new retail outlets not only throughout the USA, but also internationally.” And you can easily order their products – and many others – online.

Do live near a 7-Eleven? Have you seen e-Hookah products in your neighborhood convenience stores?

Don’t let tobacco marketers fool you into thinking e-Hookah or other electronic cigarettes are “safe.” When it comes to e-cigarettes, what you don’t know can certainly hurt you.