The Tobacco Regulation Amendment which bans tobacco sales on college campuses, has on-campus convenience stores scrambling to comply, but Rohan Arun, who smokes two packs of cigarettes a week, said he does not think the ban will deter him from his vice.
‘I see the ban as just making the walk a bit longer which, isn’t bad,’ Arun, a College of Engineering junior, said.’ ‘Walks are fun, and you can smoke on the way.”
Arun is among many Boston University students who refuse to let the ban affect their habits.
Though the Boston Public Health Commission’s Dec. 11 vote may have been unanimous, BU students ‘-‘- smokers and non ‘-‘- are divided over the ban, which goes into effect on Feb. 9.’
College of Arts and Sciences freshman Kalani McDaniel said she is upset she will not be able to purchase her cigarettes from the Warren Towers Campus Convenience.
‘ ‘The whole situation has not made me want to quit at all,’ she said. ‘I do not believe that people quit something like smoking at the insistence of others. It is an entirely personal decision and, to a certain extent, it has made me a little more defiant.”
The five Campus Convenience and City Convenience stores located in 10 Buick St., the George Sherman Union, the Medical Campus, Warren Towers and West Campus will be affected by the ban, BU spokesman Colin Riley said.
The loss of revenue from cigarette sales will decrease sales revenue, Riley said.
‘As a consequence, they will not be making as large a contribution for the bottom line for the university,’ he said. However, the stores plan on complying by the required date.
CVS is also in the process of complying, while officials train staff at the three CVS locations on campus to deal with customers asking for tobacco products, spokesman Mike DeAngelis said.
No 7-Elevens will be affected by the ban, 7-Eleven spokeswoman Margaret Chabris said.
School of Hospitality Administration sophomore Valerie Cekovsky said she supports the ban because she dislikes how careless students are when smoking. Cekovsky recalled an incident in which she was waiting for the T, and the man in front of her flung his cigarette butt behind him without looking, nearly singeing Cekovsky’s foot.’
‘I think that whatever steps we can take to reduce the amount of smoking helps, but I also think that since tobacco is not illegal, the ban might be a little much,’ Cekovsky said.’ ‘ ‘
BU American Civil Liberties Union President Ryan Menezes said he thinks the government is overstepping its boundaries with the ban and plans on’ working with the Students for a Sensible Drug Policy this semester to repeal it on the 2009 ballot.’
‘The government has the right to stop people from coercing one another, but attempts to protect people from their own decisions infringe on our freedom of choice in ways the government has no right to do so,’ Menezes, a College of Communication senior and former Daily Free Press reporter, said.
The ban also calls for the closing of cigar and hookah bars. The 11 cigar bars in Boston have 10 years to comply, but can also apply for an extension of 10 additional years.
CAS freshman Justin Lipsky, a non-smoker, said he doubts whether the ban will inspire students to put out their butts.
‘Nearly everybody in college is of a legal age to smoke,’ he said.’ ‘If they need to smoke, then they will surely walk the extra half-a-mile to do so.’
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Just walk to the 711 in Kenmore or South Campus. This is just going to make Camp Co and CVS lose lots of revenue and 711 gain a ton. It’s slight unfair in that respect. Other than the government trying to make decisions for people that are 18 years of age and supposed to be adults in the eye of the law.