Pennsylvania Kicks Cigarettes Off College Campuses
Nicotine addicts can no longer light up anywhere on any of Pennsylvania's 14 state university campuses following the state higher education authority's decision to ban on-campus smoking, the Associated Press reported late last week.
Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education notified students of the ban last Wednesday, the day before a statewide ban on smoking in most workplaces and public spaces took effect. Chancellor John Cavanaugh told the AP that the state law means a smoking ban on all campus grounds, not just academic buildings or residence halls, and that he put the campuswide bans in place accordingly.
Though the American Lung Association said more than 130 colleges and universities across the county have enacted similar no-smoking policies, creation of a completely smoke-free state university system is unprecedented. Pennsylvania's 14 state universities serve about 110,000 students.
Smoking and nonsmoking students who disagree with the ban's merit organized peaceful protests on at least three Pennsylvania campuses last week. About 60 students at Clarion University protested the ban by marching to the campus library and lighting up upon arrival.
"We're simply asking for some compromise, like one or two designated (smoking) areas on campus," 20-year-old freshman Steve Dugan told the AP. "It would have been better if there were more warning given and a chance to put in our own ideas."
Tags: colleges | Pennsylvania | smoking and tobacco
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Reader Comments
Example for the rest of the world!
I find it a very wise decision to ban smoking on the ENTIRE campus. Let's face it, smoking has no purpose beyond keeping the adiction, why should we accept that the healt of nonsmokers gets damaged because of that?
When people smoke outside the problem is not as big compared to when people smoke inside a poorly ventilated building but it still damages the health of all the people who walk there and people who are extra sensitive to smoking, like asthmatic patients, get annoying symptoms for many hours after only breathing in a small amount of smoke.
There are other important advantages to such a ban.
It sends a clear signal that smoking is not appreciated which changes the image of smoking from 'cool' and 'making you popular' to 'lame' and 'making you 'impopular'. This will help to prevent people from starting with smoking and will help smokers to quit smoking.
Many people started with smoking because they let themselves be influenced by the commercials of the tobacco industrie, politicians didn't fight against the culture of smoking because they were being influenced by the lobby of the tobacco industry and because a majority of them (the politicians) also used to smoke.
Fortunately nowadays most people, at least the educated and intelligent people, are aware of the unhealthy effects and other disadvantages of smoking and many people don't accept it any more that smokers smoke whereever they like whenever they like.
I go to a PA state school
i am currently a senior at a PA state school and smoke. nothings changed they just took out a benches here and there. there is nothing they can do, it is way to widespread, this law will be forgotten soon enough. what are they going to do hire a smoking patrol to give out tickets? ha ha what a dumb idea
Banning smoking
The truth is simple, nicotine is addictive. It is shown that it will be harmful for your health in the long run. It is easy to see how policy makers would like to place smoke-bans on campus, including PA public universities. However, freedom or regards aren't to smokers in this case scenario. "Smoking will kill you" and "it's not fair to breathe smoke when I don't smoke" are the two strongest points for why anyone would ban smoking on campus. Sure it is an unhealthy decision to smoke-unless you have Tourette Syndrome, I heard it helps ease the outbursts. I can also agree that non-smokers shouldn't have to breathe in the more polluted secondhand smoke. I am a smoker. We all don't like to have smoke blown in our face because it is disgusting and infuriating. Secondhand smoke is unfair . On the other hand, neither is taking away a smoker's smoke bins because cigarettes will be thrown on the ground. Also, people are going to smoke anyways and you took away their special smoke spot! PA and every other campus, put up smoke stations for the smokers away normal travel. This will keep the place clean. If you try to enforce it with security you will only be taxing your available man power, when security should be making sure no one is caused undue harm. Be realistic, nicotine is addictive, maybe in the future colleges and universities will help supply students with subsidized quitting aids. Everyone be safe and try to be rational and not enforce your beliefs so strongly on others. This is America, act accordingly.
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