Time to rethink smoking rules.
I would like to applaud whoever wrote the Feb. 4 opinion “Enforce smoking rules.” Smoking on college campuses is a deadly trend, but contrary to popular opinion, the majority of college students DO NOT smoke. In fact, according to a recent study by Harvard researcher Nancy Rigotti, only about 32 percent of America’s college students are smokers. This misconception often keeps non-smokers from speaking up when someone’s smoking bothers them. I praise the Daily Free Press editorial staff for writing “Enforce smoking rules” and speaking up.
The staff was also correct that cigarette smoke kills people who aren’t even smokers, but the actual figure is close to 53,000 deaths a year! For every eight smokers who die from a tobacco-related illness, one non-smoker joins them.
Boston University needs to get with the times. Many colleges and universities in New England are adopting smoke-free policies on their campuses: Harvard, the University of New Hampshire, the University of Rhode Island, Salve Regina (in Newport, RI), Framingham State, Mount Holyoke and the University of Hartford, to name a few. These institutions have even gone as far as to ban smoking in all residence halls! And the most amazing thing about these policy changes is the student reactions have been positive. In an effort to keep non-smokers smoke-free and help current smokers kick the habit, perhaps it is time BU rethought our own smoking policy?
In addition to protecting students from the health risks of secondhand smoke, these colleges and universities are lowering the chances for structural fires on campus. Did you know that the National Fire Protection Association calls smoking materials the “leading cause of civilian fire deaths?” We can’t burn candles in the dormitories at BU, but we can certainly smoke cigarettes! Am I the only one who sees the irony in this?
We are the workforce of tomorrow, and it is BU’s duty as a university to make us the best we can be in our respective fields. We pay big bucks to go to this school and should reap benefits for it besides a diploma.
Encouraging smoke-free lifestyles today is just one way BU can make us greater, healthier people in the future.
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