Audra Greco/Roundup
It is no question that Pierce’s smoking ban causes annoyance to a nicotine loving – or rather, dependent – individual.
The voice of the smoker is echoing the usual self-serving rational of being outdoors; or the democratic yell of having a right, and therefore a say in this new policy.
What is not being echoed are the voices of the 49,000 people who are killed annually from secondhand smoke.
Secondhand smoke is classified as a “known human carcinogen” (cancer-causing agent) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
43 percent of nonsmokers have detectable levels of nicotine in their blood, according to the Surgeon General.
In addition, concentrations of many cancer-causing and toxic chemicals are actually higher in secondhand smoke than in the smoke inhaled by smokers.
There are countless other facts which lead to one unavoidable end that must be acknowledged by both smokers and nonsmokers – second hand smoke is deadly and no one should be subjected to its consequences – that is democracy.
This is exactly why Pierce is now a smoke free campus; contrary to misdirected rumblings that it is an attempt to restrict or god forbid infringe on our student voice.
Smokers, before lighting up on campus when no one may be enforcing, put your opinions aside and take a moment to think about the fact that your inhaled secondhand smoke is responsible for the ill-health and possible death of people who do not smoke.
Yes, personal health is the choice of the individual.
However, when that health choice is affecting that of society it is the duty of the powers in control to properly serve and protect the common, communal good of the people.
At the core, this is the same reason why drunk driving or narcotics are illegal.
Sure these are all personal choices, but they are also detrimental to society so they need to be controlled.
After all, there is a reason we have any form of legislation in the first place – to protect not only the good of the individual, but that of society – something which this smoking ban definitely does.
