Sub-zero weather mixed with the bite of the frigid wind makes it difficult to just pull your hand from your pocket to zip up your parka, let alone bracing the weather for that long five minute smoke break. In the dead of winter, it’s amazing to see how many people will still suffer through the bitter cold just to get their tobacco fix. Not only is it astonishing to see what people will do for tobacco, it also shows the severity of the addiction in today’s society. Even when the temperature has reached -2 degrees, people still are outside risking frostbite for a smoke.
However, there are efforts being done to change this habit. Central Michigan University was the first one to set the trend of finding new ways to end the cigarette era. In the past fall semester, CMU announced their plans to prepare to become a tobacco-free campus come July 2014. This decision caused a positive and negative uproar.
“I’m ecstatic about the new policy,” says Katie Molloy, a CMU senior.
“I sometimes have to change my route on my way to class to avoid the smokers, I won’t have to do that now!”
However, not all felt the same. “I understand that cigarettes can harm not only myself but others, but chewing tobacco only harms myself. I don’t understand why I should be punished for my own decisions,” argues CMU junior Blake Nowicki.
Nevertheless, this didn’t just influence the students, CMU’s decision created a ripple effect among other schools. Shortly after CMU’s policy of becoming a tobacco-free campus was made, Western Michigan University announced they would be following along the same path. While their policy will not go into affect until September 2014, all tobacco products will also be banned from all areas of their campus. Oakland University and Michigan State University are two other colleges that have recently adopted the smoke-free policy on their campuses. Hopefully, since CMU and WMU have raised the standards, this will be initiative for the other universities too as well.
Colleges aren’t the only ones taking a step to change the tobacco use in America; big companies such as CVS are taking charge as well. As one of the largest drugstore chains, CVS Caremark announced in the end of January their plan eliminate tobacco products from their stores. The company felt that it was just not ethical to be enforcing the importance of health among their customers all while selling products that are so hazardous to one’s body. This is a major influential step these universities and companies have decided to do and hopefully it will be enough of a push to change this life-threatening habit that is so popular in today’s society.