by Tyler Fransen
I want to first dispel of any notion that I am somehow pro-smoking. Believe me, I’m not. I do not believe a person should do something that has been proven time and again to cause cancers, heart problems and death.
I think people who try and quit smoking are doing something to benefit their health and we should applaud them for it.
However, it is not my place to say if a person can or cannot smoke because in the end it is their choice. When it comes to the idea many universities have of banning smoking on campus, I think we have the wrong idea. We cannot just assume that smokers are going to magically disappear from campus, if anything it’s going to highlight who is and who isn’t a smoker.
If you smoke and have a car, you can simply drive around to find another smoker friendly spot, even if the only spot found ends up being the car itself.
Don’t have a car? No worries, there’s plenty of smoker friendly areas within walking distance of campus.
I understand the principle of turning a campus into a smoker free campus, but if the overall goals are to keep campus clean of cigarette butts and the smell of tobacco, banning them outright would not be productive.
For one thing, how would CMU enforce this rule? Armed guards at every corner of every building? TSA-esque pat downs in search of menthols? The cost and the practicality of it would be virtually impossible to justify.
Not to mention that this isn’t a college campus exclusive problem; it is a nationwide problem. Smoking today is still one of the leading causes of death to American adults. The Centers for Disease Control attribute 480,000 deaths per year to be caused by smoking.
A university does not have a smokers problem, the nation has a smokers problem. It’s up to the nation to figure out what it wants to do with cigarettes and other tobacco products causing health problems.
But what about a more localized solution that doesn’t involve banning smoking on campus outright? There just might be such a solution, and it doesn’t fall to the university. Instead, it falls on smokers.
To the smokers of campus, hear me out. I’m on your side. It is your choice to smoke- so long as you are not pregnant or under 18, so go for it. You are adults making adult decisions who don’t want to be burdened by pointless regulations that are unenforceable, I get it.
So let me offer you a deal. If we promise not to attempt to ban smoking from campus, can you promise to keep it in the designated areas or at the very least keeping your cigarette butts from getting into the grass and the sidewalks? We will be eternally grateful and in no short order, cleaner as a campus.
by Connie Kim
While I can completely understand where the advocates are coming from, there are several reasons as to why a non smoke-free campus (talk about double negatives), is incredibly unbeneficial for a university.
While our university is in no position to make any solid changes about this policy at the moment, there has been a lot of talk among students and their opinions of their free will to smoke freely on campus grounds. I would also like to clarify that the stance and facts are purely based on tobacco/cigarette smoking.
To start, I’m a nursing student and all other nursing students- and probably everyone else in the health or medical field, will tell you in the simplest terms that smoking is bad for you. Smoking is a risk factor or contributor to almost every single disease that a person can develop: diabetes, stroke, heart failure, premature birth, blindness and cancer- literally almost every diagnosis in the book.
And yes, I’m sure everyone is pretty much aware of the lung problems that can occur from smoking, but a lot of people aren’t completely familiar with how the harmful chemicals can affect the entire body as a whole.
By becoming a smoke-free campus, a university would be taking a stance on the health and well being of their students. Although this could be considered as a small role in being involved with the students’ lifestyle, it truly does make a difference.
Another thing I’d like to point out is that this doesn’t only affect the health of the individual smoker. Secondhand smoking is a thing, and the effects on the lungs of secondhand smoke on a non-smoker can actually be more harmful than the individual smoking the cigarette. By eliminating campus cigarette use, you are not only protecting the smokers, but the non-smokers as well. It’s almost like a two-in-one.
Everyone has seen the ads online and TV; there are so many anti-smoking campaigns that are sponsored by celebrities that discourage the activity. The latest, most popular, viners are using Tinder lingo to deter teens from smoking.
Models aren’t idolized for “looking cool” with their long white cigarettes with puffs coming out of their mouth. Not smoking is practically a trend; it’s cool to be smoke free. And what university would be foolish enough to stray away from such a money saving, celebrity endorsing and health conscious decision?
If you want to smoke, by all means, go right ahead. From a nursing perspective, I understand how hard it is to quit once you’ve started. It’s a lot easier said than done.
But I don’t think that we should promote smoking by allowing it on campus. If you really need a smoke break, go across the street or something.
I mean, I’m a total advocate for all people being 100 percent smoke free, but we don’t live in a perfect world. CMU and other universities can definitely make a difference and get closer to that perfect world by taking a stance.
