BU is putting its students at risk by allowing so much smoking on campus. Now, I know it’s unreasonable to ask everyone who smokes to suddenly quit, but maybe if we put all the smokers in a little box and…okay, okay, all joking aside, there has to be a solution.
Many colleges in the United States are now enforcing a smoke-free campus, including the BU Medical Campus. However, instead of addressing the matter as a legal or law enforcement issue, BU should view it as a public health issue. Instead of punishing smokers for having an addiction that they have already developed, BU should promote services to help solve the problem.
One initiative could include engaging faculty and student smokers in programs to promote health and help quit smoking. Setting up designated, semi-private, smoking areas on campus could help protect nonsmokers’ health and make it safer for them to walk through campus. I know I wouldn’t mind avoiding smoking areas if it meant I could get fresh air everywhere else.
Smoking is a problem that is much bigger than this campus. It’s a worldwide issue that many nations are battling. Some are fighting to require strict packaging laws, some are launching no smoking campaigns and some are banning smoking from public places. Either way, many countries are fighting back at the companies that produce the addicting, harmful sticks that unnecessarily take and change lives forever.
CVS Pharmacy recently pulled tobacco products from their stores in an effort to commit to being a brand devoted to health. I commend CVS for being a leader and wanting to protect their customers. It sends a message to consumers and other companies that tobacco is harmful, and it’s time to take a stand. I think this is a big step in the right direction.
Now, I may be a little biased against all this smoking business because my dad used to smoke, and my mom’s health is slowly declining with no help from the cigarettes she smokes every day. Or because I watch my grandfather, a former smoker, live attached to an oxygen machine because of smoking-induced emphysema. Witnessing the damaging and deteriorating effects of smoking can be a strong deterrent from smoking.
A smoke-free campus would protect the health of BU students, faculty, staff and anyone who frequents our campus. BU would be joining the movement against big tobacco and all of its harmful side effects. And maybe, just maybe, the next generation of students will finally be able to get a breath of fresh air.