To smoke, or not to smoke?

"Where do we draw the line between a culture of health and individual choice?" As our nation becomes more and more health concerned, its unclear as to where to draw the line between our personal lives and politics. Government and state policies are cracking down on our habits, one vice at a time. Much like high schools have chosen to eliminate sodas from their premises, so have colleges in banning smoking.365 college campus' have banned the habit to some degree. Many are pleased at this change. Claiming that the second-hand smoke was afflicting their health. Others behind the policies say that they have a greater purpose in mind, their "rationale for going smoke-free [on campus] is a desire to model healthy behavior."

Campus' like the University of Montana have taken measures such as creating "smoke-free buffer zones", that ban smoking within 25-feet of buildings so that entering and exiting students don't have to fight a cloud of smoke. Personally, I've never actually seen such a crippling aura of smoke upon entering a building that i've felt my health was affected, but thats just me. Purdue currently has 30-foot "buffer zones" designated for smoking. They considered enacting a campus wide ban, but due to overwhelming negative input to the proposal, they instead have designated outdoor smoking areas. The University of Michigan plans to enact similar policies, but has a different desire than to just punish offenders. Robert Winfield, the school's chief health officer says that they want to "Encourage people to stop smoking, set a good example for students and make this a healthier community." Now thats a mission.

That fact is, it's hard to kick the habit. Smoking has been a form of social interaction for decades. Specifically with propaganda like this in the early 1900's, the truths about smoking have been quite concealed. In these advertisements doctors even pose with cancer sticks in order to sell their "healthy image".

Smokers arn't taking these new bans with a grain of salt. Pro-nicotine students at the University of Kentucky staged a "smoke-out" to protest the new policy. Their policy even rules out smoking within the confines of ones own car. These bans are much like the ones enacted on the TCC campus' this semester. So far I've heard more grumbles than actual people overjoyed by the new smoke-free campus. In reality the percentage of smokers in Texas is a mere 22%, 1-3.5% less than our neighboring states. Nonetheless Texas is cracking down on this once socially accepted past time. From banning it within city limits, to restaurants and now to colleges, city officials are hoping to "snuff" smokers out.