A smoke-free campus?
Just when smokers here at the U of O thought they could cough a sigh of relief with the stunning failure of Measure 50, along comes this story in the ODE, titled “Students push for smoke-free campus.”
According to the story, which is mostly about the Great American Smokeout, ASUO President Emily McLain said she would consider discussing the creation of a committee with Provost Linda Brady to explore making the U of O smoke-free.
The ODE story namedrops a lot of silly sounding organizations in its article, such as the American Non-smokers’ Rights Foundation, the Clean Air Project and the Fresh Air Initiative. I don’t even smoke, but I’m thinking of taking it up just because these people make non-smokers look so ridiculous. Do you people seriously feel that your health is compromised by someone smoking in the open air?
On top of this, the Oregon Legislature passed a law banning smoking from all public buildings earlier in the year, including previously protected bars, bingo halls and bowling alleys.
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Eh, seems kinda dumb to ban it campus wide, perhaps just designate certain smoking areas and hope that its enough to please everyone.
including previously protected bars, bingo halls and bowling alleys.
Bars aren’t public buildings, they’re places of public accommodation, which is a stupid bloody category of things. A bar is owned by a private party, and as such it should be the owner’s business what happens within. Goddamned socialist nannies.
Yeah, when the whole “Hey, cigarettes are bad for you” argument failed, anti-smokers started cooking health studies on second-hand smoke. Then the argument became “you don’t really want to kill Little Billy, do you?”
Also, the most telling quote from the ODE’s shitty article:
No, you’re forcing them off of campus. Not sure what that has to do with “a corner”.
Emily does need to read up on the impact story
Emily does need to read up on the impact story… here’s a good place to start.
Actually, I do think that my health is compromised by people smoking in ‘open air’. Not if they are 100 ft away from me, no, but if I am walking behind someone on the sidewalk…or standing in the vicinity of a smoker, yes.
I’m sure Ted and Andrea can attest to what it felt like to breathe wonderfully thick and polluted air for the last month.
That is not to say I necessarily agree with the restrictions of a smoke-free campus, but second-hand smoke is real.
As we used to say in (high school) debate:
“Um…. Impacts?”