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I’m not sad to see smoking go
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Adulthood is great. I get to make all my own decisions, if I want to wake up late for class and eat cookie dough ice cream for breakfast, that’s my prerogative. It’s freedom of choice, and it’s what makes this country great.
My freedom to choose ends abruptly however when my choices impact others. Nobody has the right to make decisions for another. Eating ice cream for breakfast might make me feel like crap all day, but that’s my fault and I’m not hurting anybody.
For the life of me, I cannot understand why an adult in our times, with all that we know, would start smoking. I just really don’t get it. But hey, if you want to smoke, smoke.
They’re your lungs, it’s your cancer. The problem is that smoking on campus or in any public place affects the rights of those who wish to breathe clean, fresh air.
Second hand smoke is gross and harmful. That’s not my opinion, that’s a fact. When someone smokes in a place that I have to be, they are taking my decisions away from me.
There are signs on every door to every building on campus that say “Smoke Free Entrance” and there are those smokers who are considerate of the rest of us that stay away and smoke where it doesn’t affect others.
The majority of our campus smokers are not this considerate. Thursday morning I did a quick survey of campus as I walked from the Interactive Learning Center to my truck parked near the stadium. There were 15 students smoking.
Fourteen of 15 smokers were standing at entrances to buildings or in the midst of a crowded walkway. One lonely girl was smoking her cigarette in the quad in the grass with nobody near her.
Ryan Underdahl, a senior studying business entrepreneurship, was finishing up his cigarette on the steps of the Business Building.
When I asked him how he felt about the upcoming smoking ban, Ryan said it would be inconvenient for him and others who like to smoke.
“I see where Boise State is coming from,” he said. “It’s probably a good thing for their image.”
Campuses across the country have been going smoke-free in recent years. The College of Southern Idaho started this school year with a new smoking ban.
Students who pushed for the ban cited the bad smell and the abundance of butts on the ground.
In fall 2009, Boise State will officially become smoke-free and the only problem I can see with this plan is that it didn’t happen sooner.
KRIS DONNER
Arbiter Journalist
[...] DONNER: I'm not Sad to see Smoking Go The Arbiter (Boise State University), 2008-11-03 Author: KRIS DONNER Arbiter Journalist Summary: For the life of me, I cannot understand why an adult in our times, with all that we know, would start smoking. I just really don't get it. But hey, if you want to smoke, smoke. They're your lungs, it's your cancer. The problem is that smoking on campus or in any public place affects the rights of those who wish to breathe clean, fresh air. Second hand smoke is gross and harmful. That's not my opinion, that's a fact. . . . Campuses across the country have been going smoke-free in recent years. The College of Southern Idaho started this school year with a new smoking ban. Students who pushed for the ban cited the bad smell and the abundance of butts on the ground. In fall 2009, Boise State will officially become smoke-free and the only problem I can see with this plan is that it didn't happen sooner. Read Full Article [...]