SMOKERS' days may be numbered on many of Georgia's college campuses, as the state Board of Regents considers a total tobacco ban for all 31 institutions in the university system. The ban is being pushed by Regent Thomas Hopkins, an orthopaedic surgeon from Griffin who wants it to apply to students, staff and visitors.
The proposal, which he would like the regents to discuss early next year, follows a national trend of similar bans - promoted as health initiatives - implemented at schools, parks, around hospitals and in restaurants. Last September, the US Department of Health and Human Services launched a national tobacco-free college campus initiative to promote bans like Hopkins is proposing. The initiative counts more than 1100 colleges and universities in its smoke-free fold.
“Most of these kids start smoking at school because they think it looks cool and they're away from home and their parents,” Hopkins said. “But, it's not healthy and I would hope we would do something about that.” The board is likely to have some opposition from students. Student smokers see the ban as an intrusion on their rights.
“We're paying to go to school and we should be allowed to do this. We're not in high school anymore,” said Foster Bass, a botany student at Georgia Perimeter College. Bass and his friends were standing outside on a recent day, across from the cafeteria in an area where smoking is allowed on the college's Clarkston campus. Many in the group had been smoking about a quarter of their lives.
“This is not right and this ban would be ridiculous,” said Matthew, 19, a computer engineering student at GPC who didn't want to give his last name. “It would be just one more way of banning our freedom. I think they put too much emphasis on not smoking. This isn't illegal. We're not selling drugs.”
Smoking in all enclosed state-owned or -leased facilities - including dorms and classrooms - is already banned in Georgia. The proposal before the regents would apply to outdoor spaces on campuses, said Valerie Hepburn, a former college president who is leading the overhaul of the University System of Georgia's health benefits plan. Discussions about tobacco-free campuses have been ongoing since the university system launched its public health research and teaching programs in 2003, but this is the first time the regents will consider a system-wide ban.
Details of how to implement the ban have to be worked out, Hepburn said. A policy would have to be drafted, a compliance date would have to be set and the system would have to work with the schools and local health departments to provide students and staff with help to stop smoking and using tobacco.
The proposal, which he would like the regents to discuss early next year, follows a national trend of similar bans - promoted as health initiatives - implemented at schools, parks, around hospitals and in restaurants. Last September, the US Department of Health and Human Services launched a national tobacco-free college campus initiative to promote bans like Hopkins is proposing. The initiative counts more than 1100 colleges and universities in its smoke-free fold.
“Most of these kids start smoking at school because they think it looks cool and they're away from home and their parents,” Hopkins said. “But, it's not healthy and I would hope we would do something about that.” The board is likely to have some opposition from students. Student smokers see the ban as an intrusion on their rights.
“We're paying to go to school and we should be allowed to do this. We're not in high school anymore,” said Foster Bass, a botany student at Georgia Perimeter College. Bass and his friends were standing outside on a recent day, across from the cafeteria in an area where smoking is allowed on the college's Clarkston campus. Many in the group had been smoking about a quarter of their lives.
“This is not right and this ban would be ridiculous,” said Matthew, 19, a computer engineering student at GPC who didn't want to give his last name. “It would be just one more way of banning our freedom. I think they put too much emphasis on not smoking. This isn't illegal. We're not selling drugs.”
Smoking in all enclosed state-owned or -leased facilities - including dorms and classrooms - is already banned in Georgia. The proposal before the regents would apply to outdoor spaces on campuses, said Valerie Hepburn, a former college president who is leading the overhaul of the University System of Georgia's health benefits plan. Discussions about tobacco-free campuses have been ongoing since the university system launched its public health research and teaching programs in 2003, but this is the first time the regents will consider a system-wide ban.
Details of how to implement the ban have to be worked out, Hepburn said. A policy would have to be drafted, a compliance date would have to be set and the system would have to work with the schools and local health departments to provide students and staff with help to stop smoking and using tobacco.
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