I get it, smoking looks cool. And I understand that smoking cigarettes can be a very serious addiction for many people who get hooked. But there are real health dangers involved with smoking that have been well-documented over the last six decades or so.

In January 2016, the University of Massachusetts Boston campus became smoke-free. This move was made to join the hundreds of campuses in the country that have already done so. Campuses have made this shift over the last few years because they are recognizing the immense health risks of cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke.

A student survey conducted in the fall by the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) revealed many interesting perceptions and behaviors regarding the campus tobacco ban. Over 700 students responded to the survey, 95 percent of whom responding that they were aware of the smoking ban on campus.

So awareness isn’t the issue.

Yet amid the myriad of No Smoking signs and smoking ban notices spread across campus, there seems to be some confusion and/or apathy toward the ban. Ninety-six percent of students surveyed reported either sometimes, frequently, or almost always seeing someone smoking on campus. That’s a problem. However, 83 percent of those surveyed said they do not personally smoke on campus, while 11 percent said that they do smoke on campus.

So perhaps there is a lot of apathy concerning this ban—I understand that. I’m not a fan of people telling me what to do with my body or judging me for the choices I make, either. However, that apathy needs to end when the decisions we make impact the lives of those around us. We are not insular human beings when on this campus—we are a community that should feel safe and comfortable to breathe clean while here.

Especially with the weather (hopefully) turning to spring soon, more and more folks will be outside, which is all the more reason to discuss this issue. The USG survey also found that numerous students independently reported having asthma attacks as a result of others smoking on campus, which contributes to the 12 percent of students who reported that smoking significantly impacts their lives.

There were two interesting correlations found in the USG survey. The first one was that 11 percent of students stated they smoke on campus, while coincidentally, 11 percent also stated they have no desire to quit smoking. Then there is the 5 percent of those surveyed who said they smoke but not on campus, when coincidentally, 5 percent of those surveyed would like to quit smoking. The connections here may have some overlap in reporting, but those numbers are truly too important to excuse.

The campus administration is very much aware of the high-traffic smoking areas on campus, and this issue is being taken very seriously for the sake of those of us who do not like breathing in any sort of smoke. Yes, this ban also includes vapes and e-cigarettes—which I’m aware are not tobacco, but still include chemicals that people who have made the choice not to smoke would also not like going into their lungs.

I’m very comfortable asking people to stop smoking or vaping on campus, and maybe I’ve asked you to do so—perhaps in a fun, upbeat tone that bothered you, or in a more forceful I’m-not-in-the-mood-for-cigarette-smoke-in-my-face kind of tone. And if you complied in any of these moments, thank you. Trust me, there is plenty of resistance.

However, I’m not afraid to ask someone to put out their cigarette on campus, and I encourage other bystanders who wish to breathe clean air to kindly ask your fellow community members to be cognizant of the clean air and tobacco ban policy.

With the recent decriminalization of marijuana in Massachusetts, the campus has maintained that the use of this substance is still prohibited from campus grounds.

As someone who lost a father to lung cancer in 2015, I have very much dealt with the harsh reality of the detrimental impacts that smoking has on the human body. Watching my dad die a very slow and painful death was very difficult, and I never want any of you to ever have to experience what he went through in his finals years of life.

We over at University Health Services offer cessation therapy for quitting smoking, as well as nicotine gum for those who wish to quit. We want to see all of our community members thrive on our campus, and this means we all need to be able to cleanly breathe the air that surrounds us.
So, let’s keep the air clean, please—for yourself, for your peers, and for our future.