2008 Woodie Awards
Our View: University should consider smoking ban
Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: Opinion
Pennsylvania legislators are currently considering a smoking ban that would place narrow restrictions on where smokers could light up.
Though it's still being debated in Harrisburg, the State House of Representatives has approved a version of the bill that would permit smoking in only a few specified places, including homes and in tobacco shops that have been around for more than 10 years. This is by no means a revolutionary idea, however. Fifteen other states have already passed bans that forbid smoking in almost all public areas.
But while such legislation could get bounced back and forth for months with no ban actually falling into place, at The Rocket, we thought of a more direct measure that should be considered: a ban, issued by administrators, that would prohibit smoking on the entire campus.
This isn't a matter of determining on which side of the debate over the pros and cons of smoking you fall, but rather, a matter of looking at the situation logically.
First, just as a person's free-speech rights end the moment he or she violates the rights of another individual, as evidenced by the ever-popular falsely-shouting-"fire"-in-a-crowded-theater example, people's "right" to light up should be halted the moment their wisps of smoke are breathed in by another individual.
People's decisions to jeopardize their own well-being by smoking are questionable enough, but potentially influencing the health and lifespan of others just by standing in their general vicinity is an issue of public health. This was confirmed by the U.S. Surgeon General's report last year, which found that nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke increased their chances of heart disease and cancer by 20 to 30 percent.
Additionally, while a campus-wide smoking ban may come off as a somewhat-radical solution to a problem that most people seem to have grown accustomed to, just as a statewide ban has a precedent, so does a campus ban. No less than 90 universities and colleges around the country have adopted campus-wide bans, with hundreds of others having already enacted rules that ban smoking in all residential housing.
Though it's still being debated in Harrisburg, the State House of Representatives has approved a version of the bill that would permit smoking in only a few specified places, including homes and in tobacco shops that have been around for more than 10 years. This is by no means a revolutionary idea, however. Fifteen other states have already passed bans that forbid smoking in almost all public areas.
But while such legislation could get bounced back and forth for months with no ban actually falling into place, at The Rocket, we thought of a more direct measure that should be considered: a ban, issued by administrators, that would prohibit smoking on the entire campus.
This isn't a matter of determining on which side of the debate over the pros and cons of smoking you fall, but rather, a matter of looking at the situation logically.
First, just as a person's free-speech rights end the moment he or she violates the rights of another individual, as evidenced by the ever-popular falsely-shouting-"fire"-in-a-crowded-theater example, people's "right" to light up should be halted the moment their wisps of smoke are breathed in by another individual.
People's decisions to jeopardize their own well-being by smoking are questionable enough, but potentially influencing the health and lifespan of others just by standing in their general vicinity is an issue of public health. This was confirmed by the U.S. Surgeon General's report last year, which found that nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke increased their chances of heart disease and cancer by 20 to 30 percent.
Additionally, while a campus-wide smoking ban may come off as a somewhat-radical solution to a problem that most people seem to have grown accustomed to, just as a statewide ban has a precedent, so does a campus ban. No less than 90 universities and colleges around the country have adopted campus-wide bans, with hundreds of others having already enacted rules that ban smoking in all residential housing.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 6
Chels
posted 10/26/07 @ 11:10 AM EST
I consider myself to be a moderately considerate smoker. I do not smoke around anyone other than smokers. If I am outside of a classroom building, I go around to the side as to not bother anyone entering or exiting the building. (Continued…)
Pete
posted 10/26/07 @ 8:39 PM EST
There are quite a number of universities and colleges across the country that have either banned smoking from their campuses, or will do so within the next year. (Continued…)
Tracy
posted 11/01/07 @ 2:20 PM EST
Slippery Rock is a school that I am looking at attending, and it would only further my interest if smoking was banned from the campus. Many students like me are allergic and it may be hard to concentrate on their studies and even day to day tasks on the campus, with the smell of smoke lingering in the air. (Continued…)
ashley
posted 11/01/07 @ 10:36 PM EST
I think that the smoking ban on campus would be soo much better than just smoking areas. Those who smoke might think this is a bad idea, but there are more non-smokers than smokers on campus and i feel that they are harming the non-smokers with the smoke. (Continued…)
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