New Trend Clears the Air of Second-Hand Smoke
Linna Jones
Commentary Editor
The huddled masses surrounding tables and ashtrays between classes may be a thing of the past. More colleges in Arkansas and around the United State choose the option to become a smoke-free or tobacco-free environment.
According to USA Today, colleges from New Jersey to California banned smoking in 2007. Several four-year universities in the University of Arkansas system also banned smoking or tobacco products.
The list includes:
- University of Arkansas at Fayetteville
- University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
- University of Arkansas at Little Rock
- University of Arkansas at Fort Smith
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will start their new smoking policy next fall, joining with the other four universities in the
University of Arkansas system to change to a tobacco-free campus.
The University of Arkansas at Monticello, so far,
allows smoking and the use of tobacco products on campus.
According to the
Arkansas Association for Public Universities, UAM “is talking”
about going smoke-free this year.
Should UAM go smoke-free and will UAM ban smoking? The decision about the ban will be announced later. UAM may decide to just ban smoking, ban all tobacco products completely or leave the policy as is.
How will the campus and its students benefit from a smoke free campus? According to a Chinese University of Hong Kong Web site, some of the benefits of a smoke-free campus include: promotes good health, reduces the risk of fire, saves money on maintenance and improves image.
Smokers may also benefit from the ban by having the chance and the atmosphere to quit successfully. According to the American Lung Association, the benefits of stopping smoking occur over time.
After quitting smoking for two weeks to three months:
- Circulation improves
- Walking becomes easier
- Lung function increases
After quitting smoking for one to nine months:
- Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath decreases
After quitting smoking for one year:
- Excess risk of coronary heart disease decreases to half that of a smoker
Smokers will also save money by quiting. Smoking impacts more than just your health, it also affects your wallet. Tobaccofreeu.org provides a calculator to add up the cost of smoking.
Second-hand smoke also cause problems for non-smokers. According to the ALA,
second-hand smoke causes disease and premature death in children
and adults who do not smoke. Second-hand smoke also contains chemicals
known to be toxic and carcinogenic, a substance or agent causing
cancer.
As a non-smoker, I never enjoy walking through clouds of smoke while trying to get to class or walking through smoke in a public place.
If the university bans smoking, it will help the health of its scholars and the appearance of the campus. Smokers maybe unhappy about the ban, but at least the air will be free of second-hand smoke.
Have a comment? Please e-mail us.
©The Voice 2008
