So, I live on a college campus in the Rocky Mountain area. Recently, our chancellor has sent us several e-mails telling us that the Regent for our school system is considering a complete and total tobacco ban on all campuses in our system, both indoors and outdoors. You would think a person like me, who fights for better health for everyone, would agree with this, right?
Wrong.
We already have a tobacco ban in place for all indoor areas. Smokers are required to stand at least 20 feet from any entrance into a building. This puts them out in the wide open spaces of campus, with very little covering on days when it is raining or snowing. Why is it necessary to ban all tobacco outdoors as well?
They give three main reasons. The first is, obviously, health. Second hand smoke presents risks. But guess what? You get those same risks by just living in the city, which all four campuses in our system are present in. Letting people smoke outside, where the smoke is dissipated almost immediately, is not going to pose any additional risk to people. Just isn't going to happen. What would pose an additional risk is letting people smoke indoors, where the smoke is ever present. That's not cool.
The second is environmental concerns. As far as I can tell, this is just that the smoke affects the environment. But really... banning smoking on campus isn't going to reduce the smoking prevalence much, if at all. People will just go off campus to smoke... amazing thing there.
Finally, we have little control. Yes, apparently some cigarette butts are unsightly on the campus, and by banning smoking, you can make this problem go away! Well, you could also make it go away by giving people places to dispose of their cigarettes in readily accessible areas. That would be pretty easy, especially considering we just imposed a HUGE recycling program on campus that provides not just a trash can, but a 'mixed container' recepticle all around campus. They're everywhere, seriously.
So their concerns about smoking on campus really aren't all that valid. Why should you limit their smoking, especially to people that LIVE on campus and have a more difficult time getting OFF campus to smoke? You shouldn't. Plain and simple.
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This is not just a civil matter but a 'religious' one. No, not of Jesus Christ's but of his adversaries, the Pharisees, who kept loading laws upon laws, upon laws on the common people. He kept telling them to stop and come back to GOD, but they refused. That's why they have all the trouble they have. They refused to obey GOD, oh, and, they REFUSED to accept GOD'S son. That doesn't seem to impress many people who claim to be Christians but it is paralyxzing to me. To refuse GOD'S words means death to those who claim to follow him. Guess this is the calm before the storm. Maybe their buildings will burn. Demons hate the smell of smoke, it reminds them of where they will be spending all eternity. What a delightful thought!!! Great blog!
I agree. Banning cigarettes altogether isn't necessarily a good thing. Providing a place for smokers to smoke is a nice idea. I guess the college is trying to protect the health of non-smoker students as well. I'm actually scared of what the smokers will do when they crave for smoking but can't due to the school's policy. Isn't it addicting like drugs? I feel bad for many of them too because they can't quit even if they want to. But smoking is good for the economy. lol Many smokers are saving our nations.
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I agree with you.
I can also see the argument that especially for a school located in a city, creating a situation where students who smoke have to leave the campus in order to pursue their habit could result in them being in a more dangerous environment, assuming that the campus has better security than the surrounding areas (which I hope it does).
Letting people smoke outside, where the smoke is dissipated almost immediately, is not going to pose any additional risk to people.
I actually have to disagree with you on this one (at least in part). The college I go to has a no smoking policy as well. Most of the people, however, choose to sit in front of the doors or along the access ways to those doors (staircases, sidewalks, etc). As someone who doesn't smoke and lives with other non-smokers, going past these people who do smoke makes me sick, even if they are outside, because the air either isn't moving enough to dissipate the smoke, or the wind's blowing it in a certain direction. The point is, even outside, it's still concentrated enough to be bothersome.
Smokers are required to stand at least 20 feet from any entrance into a building. This puts them out in the wide open spaces of campus, with very little covering on days when it is raining or snowing.
No one's forcing anyone to smoke but the smokers themselves. The don't have to go out and have a cigarette, they choose to do so.
-- quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
I guess you'd have to live in my area to understand the climate. It is always windy near the entrances to buildings, simply because of our location and how the campus is designed. The smoke is dissipated almost immediately. Furthermore, as you quote me saying, they are required by law to stay 20 feet away from entrances to buildings, making it much less likely that people will have to walk right next to them to get into the building. They're usually off to the side where they aren't bothering anyone.
Oh, and for the record, I'm a non-smoker, who has lived with non-smokers most of my life. I hate going to my dad's house, because my clothes always come back with me with some sort of musty smell from the smoke residue on my dad and stepmom's clothes.
~C
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Well, at least your school enforces the 20 foot rule. As far as I know, state law says people can't smoke within 20 feet here, too, but the school doesn't enforce it. There's a certain irony in seeing someone smoking in front of a "No Smoking" sign....
Some of the places they smoke are wide open, even. The side of the building, for example, actually has two doors a little ways apart. They can be at the far door and I can still smell it enough to almost gag when going to the first door.
-- quis custodiet ipsos custodes?