Boulder should have designated smoking areas
We’re gonna do it anyway, just give us a suitable space
The University of Colorado is a non-smoking campus, yet people still smoke, and they smoke everywhere. How can we find an agreement that satisfies smokers and non-smokers? The answer lies in the obvious solution that many colleges across the United States have been implementing: designated smoking areas.
Since August 9th, 1994 the University of Colorado Boulder has claimed to be a non-smoking campus. Students and employees are not meant to smoke anywhere on school owned property of any kind which includes but doesn’t limit to housing, sidewalks, recreational areas and general buildings. There is a $200 fine for those caught in violation of this policy, as well as a referral to the appropriate student conduct office or a supervisor depending on who was in violation.
As I walk my everyday route to class though, I can’t help but notice the amount of cigarette butts polluting the sidewalks and little secluded alcoves, as well as the occasional lone smoker spread out here and there, headphones in, ignoring the world and the people that surround them. Disappointed, I pull out a cigarette, smoke it, and toss the butt in the trash before heading off to class. I agree with the idea of having a non-smoking campus even though I personally smoke because I respect that others do not like smelling or being near cigarettes and would like to watch out for their health. As someone aware of the health risks but who finds benefits in smoking due to anxiety, I would like to be able to smoke and meet fellow smokers without shame or judgment. That is why I propose to install designated smoking areas on campus.
Is the university really going to fine someone smoking on campus $200? Or fire an employee because all they wanted was a five-minute cigarette break while working hard for the community that will potentially eject them due to a personal habit? I don’t think that seems fair at all. People are still going to smoke, and due to the size of Boulder’s campus, many students and employees do not have the time to walk off campus when they have a small moment of time to enjoy what allows them to relax. This causes smoking members of the community to smoke wherever they are or in little secluded areas to avoid being harassed or caught. As a result cigarette butts are thrown everywhere and non-smokers are forced to endure the smell and negative side effects of secondhand smoke. The lack of designated smoking areas affects not only the smokers on campus, but also the non-smokers and the environment – the two things the policy was originally trying to protect. Smokers are affected the most though, not only by being banned from campus when they want to indulge in a cigarette, but also by being unable to meet and relate to other smokers on campus.
There is an unspoken bond between smokers that most non-smokers will not understand or even observe. Conversation starters such as, “Can I bum a cig” or, “What do you smoke?” are common in the smoking community, which allows smokers to have a more comfortable and easier time meeting people they might relate to. Although it may seem “bad” or “unhealthy” to meet people in this manner, it has a certain magic to it, which gets lost when smokers are shut out and pushed away from the rest of the community. Simply intimidating adolescents and adults to stop smoking is not going to actually get them to stop smoking, and although the university claims to have “accessible recovery programs” for students trying to quit, those programs are never as accessible as they are made out to be nor are they effective for everyone.
The truth is that smoking is legal and it is a choice, and quitting should be also be a choice and not forced upon anyone.
Furthermore, if one of these students smokes due to anxiety or depression, these policies could worsen that student’s mentality. As someone who suffers from both anxiety and depression, I have found that smoking helps me cope on a day-to-day basis. I would love to quit one day or find another way to cope (which I’ve tried to find) and I consider every day a small step in that direction. Unfortunately though it isn’t that easy and I would prefer that my school wouldn’t resent me or condemn me, therefore reminding me of my anxiety, because of a dependence that could ultimately only affect me personally.
I understand that some might consider designated smoking areas an encouragement to smokers to continue smoking, but it’s more of a controlled environment for them indulge and converse with one another. These smoking areas would have ashtrays allowing for proper cigarette disposal and could be covered with signs to encourage alternatives to smoking as well as referrals in case anyone wanted to join one of these programs the university has to offer. Many universities across the United States have become non-smoking and yet still have designated smoking areas, such as Lewis and Clark College in Oregon, which significantly improves the campus as a living space.
I am not advocating for a smoking campus, nor am I endorsing smoking. I am merely suggesting that instead of casting out members of the community because of a habit that is no longer socially approved, we accept them and allow them, as well as the people around them, the comfort and respect anyone and everyone deserves.