There are many different excellent arguments that can be made for a completely smoke-free campus at a tertiary institution. Everyone is aware of the dangers of smoking, but not everyone is aware of the variety of different factors that can also be problematic in an environment that allows smoking. There are many different arguments that can be made that are rather compelling as far as allowing smoking is concerned, but the arguments against environments, particularly tertiary-education environments that allow smoking are much more compelling.
According to Jha et al., smoking is one of the leading causes of death for women and men from the ages of 35 to 60. While this age range is typically not the age range that attends tertiary institutions, the fact that so many people die from smoking and smoke-related causes is an important argument against allowing smoking in these educational environments. Jha et al. state that while many of these individuals become sick and die from their smoking habits, it is not common for an individual to begin smoking in his or her thirties and then face complications within the next few years (Jha et al.).
What is much more common is for individuals to begin smoking early in their lives, particularly in their teenage years or their early twenties, while they are participating in secondary and tertiary education (Jha et al.). These institutions, therefore, have a responsibility to their students to ensure that their students are making the best choices possible in regards to their health and future prospects. This means that institutions have a responsibility to create an environment in which they encourage good behavior from the students under their educational guidance, in an effort to ensure that these students to not begin to make choices that will adversely affect their futures and their health in the long term.
In addition to having a higher mortality rate, smokers between the ages of twenty-five and seventy-nine are also at risk for other problems. Jha et al. found that among individuals in this age bracket, smokers were more likely to abuse alcohol, have a lower education level, and be prone to long-term illness and disease. This correlation between alcohol abuse, low educational level, long-term illness and smoking is very important. If educators are in the business of assisting their students in the long run, it is best for students to be in a smoke-free environment.
Similarly, Jha et al. state that even when an individual is a non-smoker that is exposed to a high level of secondhand smoke, that individual is not only likely to suffer from similar problems as a smoker, but is more likely to become a smoker in the long run due to the effects of the smoke (Jha et al.). Individuals who are exposed to secondhand smoke at a young age are particularly prone to picking up the habit of smoking in their later lives. Children and young adults who are exposed to smoke are also more likely to suffer from long-term illnesses such as allergies and asthma, both of which educators should be seeking to eradicate from their tertiary institutions.
There is no doubt about the danger of smoking cigarettes, and the dangers of smoking have been known for many years. Whenever the issue of smoking comes up, there is always a question of whether or not adults and their behavior should be restricted. However, the dangers that smoking poses to other people outweighs the individual’s right to smoke as he or she pleases, particularly in a place like a college campus.
Works cited
Jha, MD, Prabhat et al. "21st-Century Hazards of Smoking and Benefits of Cessation in the United States." New England Journal of Medicine, 368. (2013): 341-350. Print.
