No avid Audrey Hepburn fan does not recall her iconic smoke stick, nor does any aspiring politician imitate JFK without cutting a cigar. However, from Broadway to Washington, more knowledge about tobacco and tobacco products are reinventing the cigarettes image. It is a fact: smoking kills. Over 1,178 campuses across the United States are now tobacco free, including UMass Dartmouth and, as of July 1st 2013, UMass Amherst. UMass Amherst, a campus that once provided smoking amenities such as ceased fires and waist bins, now is plastered with “Tobacco Free” reminders. The band includes buildings, outdoors, and any vehicles (UMass or personal) passing through campus.
While cooperation to this policy is voluntary, there is a clause stating the university can delegate disciplinary action to those who do not comply. The policy was enacted only weeks ago but it has drastically changed the campuses collective view on smoking. For example, walking through Southwest late on a weekend night, there is a visibly decreased number of lit cigs being passed around, in comparison to the smoke clouds of years past. While for some, this ban means no more enjoying a square with friends or disguising a spliff as a hand rolled cigarette. For others, this ban brings relief to the worry of second hand smoking. Not only is this ban so far decreasing the amount of students who smoke, but it is also creating a new image for the smoking population. The student body is playing a large contributing in the ban enforcement. Those who are still lighting up on the way to class receive glares and obnoxious comments from other members of the student body.
Sasha, a junior at UMass, who occasionally smokes himself, does not believe the ban should exist. “I am pro-constitution and the government (or university) has no right to tell me where and when to smoke, I’m against it.” When asked how often he observed people smoking on campus now compared to before he replied, a lot less, like maybe three people a day now. Those who are smoking normally are doing so pretty conspicuously, behind a building or small path, someplace that does not generate attention.
Another student, Leroy, sophomore, said he has never smoked however the ban has not affected him much. Like Sasha, he sees less frequent numbers of smokers but the ban has not changed anything for him. “Before when students smoked it would never really bother me, I did not like the smell but I would avoid it just as I would a full trashcan or gross bathroom stall; I would just find another route. It is nice to see the school taking initiative and trying to promote health for future generations and the ban has definitely decreased the ‘cool factor’ and pressure to smoke.”
While several other students who were asked about the ban had varied replies, the general consensus is that it has not changed their life dramatically in any way. The most noticeable change has been social smoking on weekends; there is less pressure for those non-smokers to start, but those who do smoke continue doing so. The ban is a leap forward in destroying the cigarette industry’s glamorous reputation and in turn, increasing the health of future generations. Once a symbol of “the in crowd” – cigarettes have taken a drastic turn to become socially unacceptable. While they are still legal in the United States, I do not see them making a comeback any time soon, but instead continue to decline in popularity.
So tell us collegiettes™, what are your opinions on the ban?