By Richard Garibay
Staff Writer
A 2012 letter from University of California President Mark G. Yudof to the UC chancellors calls for a the ban on all tobacco use, advertising and sales in every UC campus by 2014.
In his letter, Yudof claimed that, “Offering a smoke-free environment will contribute positively to the health and well-being of all UC students, faculty, staff, and our patients and visitors.”
The ban has been in effect since Jan. 1 and could soon find its way onto CSU campuses.
I will neither argue for or against the use of tobacco. I do, however, find a fault in trampling the freedoms of those who choose to use tobacco products.
One objective of the ban is to help tobacco users quit and offer workshops and products like nicotine patches to help.
The problem with this offer is that it assumes people who use tobacco want to quit.
As shocking as it may be, there are people who enjoy tobacco and shouldn’t be forced to stop. The UC ban assumes these people are naive children, oblivious to danger and in need of guidance.
The fact is that tobacco users are adults who have the right to make whatever choices they wish. They don’t need to be coddled by officials who are taking it upon themselves to choose how people live their lives.
Yudof and the chancellors must also think that tobacco users are illiterate and cannot read the clearly printed warning on tobacco products from the Surgeon General.
If tobacco users still use these products after all of the warnings and statistics, it’s a safe bet that they aren’t likely to stop and will take offense to the UC ban smothering them.
The smoking ban was also fueled by the dangers of secondhand smoke to non-smokers. Designated smoking areas are the perfect solution.
Granted, CSUB’s own smoking areas aren’t effective due to a lack of signage and insufficient enforcement regarding individuals who choose to smoke outside of the designated areas.
UC campuses are large places; designating at least one smoking area twenty-five feet away from entrances and walkways, despite a conducted by breathecalifornia.org that said smoke can travel up to twenty feet from its origin.
At CSUB, for example, there could be one smoking area in the middle of the small field between Science III and the Student Health Center. Designating areas would be much more successful than a ban.
While some individuals argue that smokers won’t use designated areas, others contend that smokers will also disobey a ban should one be enforced at all.
I do not agree with this potential ban and hope CSUB doesn’t adopt a similar approach.
Tobacco is dangerous, that I will not argue.
However, when it comes to a person’s choice to use tobacco, I will not make a choice for someone else.