Smoking Ban Tightens on College Campuses

Smoking and drinking Two pretty normal experiences for the 18-22 set. Most college students would argue that they easily get away with either behavior in their dorms, Greek houses, and at sporting events. And, most of us agree that this is possible because of lax enforcement on campus. But, recently there has been increasingly stronger enforcement and harsher penalties on campuses all across the country.

Surprisingly, of the two, smoking has been most successfully targeted and controlled by the states even though it's legal and can be used at the age of 18.  Now that the states know they can ban smoking, how far will they go? Should smoking be banned on college campuses both indoors and outdoors? 

The American College Health Association thinks so! In fact, the association wants a ban on all tobacco use. They recently released a set of guidelines for the ban. The association’s president, Jim Turner, is aware that not every campus will buy into this, but he believes it will at least create awareness.

I still can’t come to terms with this proposed policy. Even though I don't smoke or promote smoking, a complete ban would take away the rights of students on public grounds using a legal product. But apparently, it’s not that big of a controversy. According to the association’s research, there are 365 U.S. colleges and universities that are already 100% smoke-free and another 76 institutions that ban smoking with the exception of small, outdoor designated areas. I guess this means there is a large consensus about banning smoking, but do you think the states rightfully have this power or did we give it to them?

-- By Erin McClary, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill