A poll held during the recent student government elections signaled the consideration of making the college's campus completely smoke-free. We support this initiative.
Countless studies have shown that smoke is damaging - in fact, "There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke. Any exposure to tobacco smoke – even an occasional cigarette or exposure to secondhand smoke – is harmful," according to the U.S. Surgeon General.
The current rule - no smoking within 25 feet of building entrances - is aimed at keeping smoke away from the inside of buildings. But in practice, it is clearly unenforceable. Consequently, a lot of students, especially those with asthma, have to deal with smoke inside buildings as well. This needs to stop.
But the ban should be imposed in a way that as "smoker-friendly" as possible.
People often make the argument that smoking itself is damaging to those who do it, and that it should therefore be discouraged by colleges. But it is hypocritical to argue this and at the same time do nothing about the unhealthy food in the cafeteria - both cigarette and fat foods damage the health of the consumer. It is not the job of a college to regulate the private behavior of its students, no matter how harmful it is to them personally - not until it affects others without their consent.
Nor should we forbid smoking simply because it is considered a nuisance. Loud music is arguably just as irritating, yet there's not a reasonable person attempting to impose a campus-wide decibel limit, nor should there be; when we start banning things just because people – even if it is a majority – consider them annoying, we venture onto a slippery slope. Those who want smoking prohibited because it gets on their nerves are supporting the right cause for the wrong reasons.
The ban should therefore be designed in a way that improves the health of the public without putting smokers through unnecessary trouble, like making those who have classes in the SMT walk all the way to the other side of campus just to light up. This can be done by putting several covered "smoker spots" in low-traffic areas, such as the parking lots, around campus.
Due to the difficulty of enforcing the current rules and the health risks to those unwillingly inhaling second-hand smoke, we feel banning smoking from campus completely is the best practical method out there to further the well-being of the campus in general. But the ban must be designed in a way that doesn't needlessly stigmatize smokers.
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