An estimated 50 million smokers across the United States are causing serious damage to their bodies and creating an environment that is harmful for people around them (Parks). Research has indicated that tobacco products are extremely dangerous and harmful to the health of a human being (Parks). In addition, second-hand smoking is regarded to have serious harmful effects on the innocent people. The issue of smoking in campus has been of much concern in the present society. Several proposals to ban smoking on campus have been formulated in various colleges across the US. Some of them have been implemented while others have been opposed. However, smoking bans in campuses has been more popular in the recent years. Smoking in campus should be banned in all college campuses because of the harmful effects of second-hand smoking, it will help student smokers to quit smoking, and the offensive nature of smoking to the individuals who do not smoke.
Smoking on campus should be banned in order to ensure that students and the faculty’s health will be protected from the harmful effects of second-hand smoking. Even though smokers in campuses smoke in designated areas, they release secondhand smoke which is harmful to the health of the people around them. Burning of tobacco products such as cigarettes releases secondhand smoke. Similarly, the smoke exhaled by the individual smoking is also secondhand smoke. According to the United States Environmental Agency (EPA), secondhand smoke is categorizes as a known human carcinogen or a cancer causing agent. Smoke from tobacco comprises a mixture of particles and gases (Parks).
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It contains at least 7,000 chemical compounds, where by, at least 250 of the chemicals are harmful and almost 70 of the chemicals cause cancer (CDC). Brief exposure to secondhand can be detrimental to the health of an individual. According to the CDC, an estimated 2,500,000 nonsmokers have lost their lives as a result of health issues caused by being exposed to the secondhand smoke since 1964 (CDC). From the evident, it is clear that secondhand smoking is harmful to the health of other people. Secondhand smoking also causes severe and frequent asthma attacks, causes respiratory symptoms such as sneezing, and coughing, as well as infections in the respiratory system (Parks). According to CDC (2007), comprehensive smoking bans in campuses is a critical step in reducing the exposure of secondhand smoke among the nonsmokers (CDC).
Smoking on campus should be banned because it will help in reducing the number of students smoking on campus and in the society as well. According to Parks (2014), the implementation of the smoking ban on one of the Michigan State University campuses led to more students seeking assistance to quit smoking. Addictive smokers will have to look for the healthy options to manage their smoking habit. This can significantly help in reducing the number of smokers in various colleges across America which can also save several lives of both smokers and non-smokers.
Smoking on campus should be banned because it offensive to the individuals of who do not smoke. The college campus environment is established to provide a conducive environment for healthy learning. According to Fibkins, more than 500 campuses across the US had eliminated smoking zones from their college campuses because of the harmful effects of smoking such as secondhand smoking it had within the campus. The reason behind the action is because everyone is entitled to have a chance of living in an environment where there is clean air which is free from tobacco chemicals. In addition, the colleges took the action because the college environment should be safe to live but not a dead zone (Fibkins).
In a nutshell, smoking in campus should be banned because of the harmful effects of second-hand smoking which is harmful to the people surrounding the smokers. Banning smoking in campuses will help student smokers to quit smoking hence reducing the number of deaths in the society. In addition, the detrimental effects of smoking to the individuals who do not smoke will be reduced because campuses will be free from tobacco chemicals.
- CDC. ‘Secondhand Smoke (SHS) Facts.’ CDC. N.d. Web. April 13, 2015
- Fibkins, William. What Schools Should Do to Help Kids Stop Smoking. New York, NY: Routledge, 2013. Print
- Parks, Peggy. Smoking. Chicago, IL: Norwood House Press, 2014. Print
