New rules, new game.
You may or may not have noticed one of the university’s latest updates when you log into MyUSF: “Starting January 4, 2016 TOBACCO FREE CAMPUS.”
I remember looking at this puzzled: Isn’t the school already tobacco free?
I later found out it was only covering the USF Tampa campus, which revised the regulations. Now, “smoking and use of tobacco products will not be allowed in any indoor or outdoor area, including parking garages, grounds, sidewalks or recreational areas. This policy also includes the use of e-cigarettes,” according to the announcement.
Regardless if the new rules “only” applied to Tampa, some of the wording didn’t sit right with me.
Two parts of this statement raises an issue in my mind. First, the word ‘sidewalks’ really jumped out from the text.
When speaking strictly about the sidewalks in between class buildings, this is understandable. However, if the university is also referring to sidewalks adjacent to the road, then I believe they are overstepping their bounds.
These particular sidewalks are public property. Last I checked, this is why groups like Greenpeace enjoy the freedom of speaking there, so what authority does the university have in telling someone they can’t smoke?
The other issue I have with the college’s update is that they plan to ban the use of e-cigarettes. I can understand why cigarettes bother people: they don’t like the smell nor the health threats of secondhand smoke.
In public, I’ve received dirty looks countless times after lighting a cigarette. On the contrary, not once have I experienced a negative response when whipping out my e-cigarette.
If anything, it’s been a friendly conversation starter.
Millions of dollars have been spent on anti-smoking campaigns because the thousands of chemicals are not only harmful to your own body, but also to those around you inhaling secondhand smoke. However, this is not a potential threat when it comes to vapor.
According to a study conducted by the University of Southern California, “Scientists studying secondhand smoke from e-cigarettes discovered an overall 10-fold decrease in exposure to harmful particles, with close-to-zero exposure to organic carcinogens.”
The vapor brand I use, Velvet Cloud, only contains Kosher USP vegetable glycerin, water, natural flavoring and American-made nicotine.
I cannot testify that every person who vapes uses quality brands made in the U.S., but I am confident there is little to no concern of health damaging repercussions with vapor like those associated with inhaling secondhand cigarette smoke.
Everyone has a different way to deal with the stress of college, some students smoke.
Is it healthy? Of course not! And most, if not every smoker knows that. Those who are trying to quit smoking and the continuous intake of thousands of chemicals by using vapor box mods or e-cigarettes should not be scrutinized.
Over the past few months, I have seen cigarette butts just about everywhere on USFSP’s campus – the one that’s already tobacco free. And because of that, there aren’t any sort of ashtrays available for proper disposal. In a perfect scenario, having a designated smoking area would prove more beneficial than an all-out ban.
At the same time, though, I think the university should be more considerate of those trying to have a healthier lifestyle by switching to a safer alternative to cigarettes.
