Why Is Smoking Allowed On Campus

Smoking should not be permitted on college campuses In contemporary world, the human society is progressing rapidly on various fronts. Yet at the same time, many problems have arisen, one of which is whether students can smoke on campus. This issue has drawn widespread attention. Some people assert that smoking is individual right so that they can smoke on campus while many others argue that smoking on campus is not only related to their own health issue but also influence other non-smokers and environment. In my perspective, I am in favor of the latter view. Smoking should not be allowed on college campuses. It is evidently reasonable for some to argue that smoking on campus is not healthy for smoker and non-smoker. As we all know, smoking is detrimental to our health. Every year we can know that a large amount of people die from diseases caused by smoking cigarettes such as lung cancers, heart diseases and stroke. There is the mixture of nicotine and carbon monoxide in each cigarette that can
increase heart rate and blood pressure, straining your heart and blood vessels. Secondhand smoke is also unhealthy. Secondhand smoke also called environmental tobacco smoke, involuntary smoke, and passive smoke. It is the combination of “side stream” smoke (the smoke given off by a burning tobacco product) and “mainstream” smoke (the smoke exhaled by a smoker). It can also cause heart diseases, respiratory disease and cancers. As college students, I think the main task on campus is study knowledge and we can enjoy the good academic atmosphere. But sometimes we walk around campus; it is not difficult for us to find students smoking on public area such as lawn, outside the library and the door of teaching building. When we walk by these smokers, we are the victim of secondhand smoke; our nonsmokers will be sickened by exposure to others’ tobacco smoke and some even have allergic reactions. It is severely harm to our non-smokers’ health and rights and influence our daily life in college. We afford tuition fees to college so that we can get a good atmosphere to study and college also have duty to ensure our study lives and security on campus. Therefore, many colleges have published policy that students are smoke free on campus and I assert it is responsible for every student’s health and rights. Moreover, I want to mention that smoke on campus is also detrimental to environment and it will cause bad influence on every student, faculty member, staff person and visitor on campus. Undeniable, it can produce carbon dioxide and nicotine that cause air pollution when people smoking. Cigarettes contain over 4000 chemicals and they all release to air and atmosphere. Maybe some guys will say how it causes pollution by such a little waste gas release to air? Do not forget that at present there are 1.3 billion smokers in the whole world. It means there is a massive amount of pollution being released into the air every day and it is a huge number that enough to influence the environment. The polluted air is harmful to our health especially effect our lung and respiratory tract. There is not only just air pollution caused by cigarettes but also pollute the land and water. I always see the phenomenon that people who smoke on campus or other public areas throw away the cigarette butts on land and on grass. When guys finish smoking, they throw cigarette butts at any place; whether there is a waste bin or not. Another severely issue is if the cigarette butts do not eliminate, it is easy to fire. In addition, when throw cigarette butt into river, it can also pollute the water we drink and use. If fish eat it by mistake, they will die from it. If people throw it on ground, the chemicals will pollute the soil and plants. Therefore, smoking is detrimental to environment. Another issue is smoke on campus can lead to bad influence on staff and visitor. As is well-known, college is a place for us to accept knowledge. Not only staff but also students are exhausting every effort to establish good academic atmosphere and energetic image. If you walk around campus and find many students smoke everywhere, how do you think about this college? Smoking on campus is still a sensitive topic; it may lead to you suspect this campus ethos and the quality of students. So I think smoking on campus is not only influence environment but also cause bad image on staff and visitor. On the contrary, some people are still against smoke free on campus; because they hold viewpoint that smoking is their individual stuff.
At this age of society, people all advocate freedom and fair rights so that they think smoke free on campus is against their rights. Definitely, they have rights to smoke at any place they want, but if their behaviors bring out some negative effects to the public, it must be banned. We all understand that there is no benefit from smoking, even it can bring severly damage to our health and life. So I think it is necessary for college to publish policy of smoke free on campus. Acctually, I think that is not the only and best way; and we must consider smokers’ rights and feeling. Therefore, I just come up with a suggestion that college can bulid a smoking room in specified area for smokers. It is not only provide a place for those smokers but also make non-smokers far away from the influence and disturb of cigarette
smoking. In conclusion, it is necessary to ban smoking on campus; although smokers argue this behavior encroach rights. Nonetheless, in consideration of the masses, we have to publish the policy that prohibit smoking on campus. It is the health protection of smokers and non-smokers and even protect the environment. As college student, I think smoking should not be permitted on college campuses.

Reference

National Cancer Institute. Secondhand Smoke and Cancer, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/ETS
Jessica Taylor-Cassan, August 29th, 2007. How Smoking Affects our Environment. Retrieved from http://www.aboutmyplanet.com/environment/smoking-affects/