Introduction
In 1964, the first report describing the health effects of smoking was published. It leads to sell cigarette packages with caution labels. Soon after, advertisements were started appear before public through media and through posters. Following this, there were many policies were implemented and reports were released that caused the implementation of making smoke-free and tobacco-free premises and environment to improve the health and living condition and to control indoor air pollution. After that, smoking is banned in public places. Many universities and schools amended smoke-free policies to save the health of the students, faculty, and staff. Smoking bans have been spreading across everywhere and several precautions have been taken by government as well as by many health organizations through decades. Now it gets its peak and every institutions and organization started prohibiting smoking within the premises. It gives more hope to our future and saves our young generation from addition to tobacco.
Steps Taken to Ban Smoking
Smoking is not only injurious to smokers, but also to the nonsmokers and children. The secondhand smoke caused serious danger to them, as they become the victims because of the indoor and outdoor pollution caused by the smoking and using tobacco inside the premises and in public places. That leads to take several steps to ban smoking in Universities and schools to provide healthy environment to faculty, students, staff, and everyone in and around the campus. Following are the several steps taken to ban smoking in university, as they feel it is possible by implementing several policies to make it strict in the universities and schools to provide a healthy atmosphere, taking surveys from students, faculty, staff, and public to get better understanding of where they are standing to help implementing the policy, getting support from them by making them participating in educational outreach programs and campaign insisting smoke-free and tobacco-free environment, releasing articles in the campus newspaper against smoking by getting help from reporters and articles, spreading awareness through media and posters, spreading awareness through emails, letters, explaining personal stories to public, and through social networks like TV, radio, and newspapers, educating the campus and administrators about the secondhand smoke and its effects on others especially to nonsmokers and children, and posting signs against smoking also helps to take action against smoking and using tobacco. It helps the universities and schools to prevent using tobacco within the campus and in public places.
Decision to Ban Smoking
Nowadays, everyone is concerned about the health of the environment. The environment is highly polluted because of other reasons that are causing danger to human life and nature. At least this is such a wonderful decision of banning tobacco in universities as youngsters from age group 18 to 24 are using the highest rate of tobacco in various forms when compared to adults. Therefore, the remedial actions should be started from the youngsters who are losing their life in tobacco smoke. It is the most welcoming action of universities to prohibit tobacco. Students in universities are not allowed to smoke inside the classroom or campus. They are not allowed to smoke inside any college or university vehicle. Some universities have already implemented the idea of banning smoking within the premises; a few are about to implement as there may be some opposition for 100% smoke-free campus. After several policies and reports, it becomes the goal of the universities to ban smoking. To create a healthy and comfortable environment, universities have strictly prohibited smoking in any of the universities’ campus, including in all buildings, ground, rooms, and university vehicles. Signs reflecting no smoking area have been kept in all the places. The success of this plan is possible only when the universities get help from smokers and nonsmokers. It is the responsibility of every individual, including faculty, students, staff, and other visitors to universities, to follow the policy. Universities decision of banning tobacco within premises is highly welcomed by certain group who are highly worried about the environment and the health of them and their loved ones, and opposed by other group.
Disciplinary Measures and Penalties
If anyone violates the policy, he or she will be subject to penalties. Permitting smoking is considered as an offense and they will be fined with $100. If the offense continues for second time within 2 years, they have to pay the penalty of $200, and if the offense continues for third or subsequent time within the 2-year period, they have to pay $300 as penalty. Conflicts among students related to smoking have to bring before Judicial Affairs Office for Student Affairs. It is the responsibility of all to enforce this nonsmoking policy. There are disciplinary policies for those who are violating the policy. Complaint against students, staff, faculty, and even the visitors, vendors, and contractors for smoking in no smoking area has to be investigated and taken any disciplinary action to resolve the problem. Members who are violating this policy have to be subject to discipline as with other violations of university policies, regulations, and rules. According to this policy, anyone can object to smoke in no smoking area or any other public places.
Conclusion
The universities have recognized that using tobacco and smoking would cause serious danger to health of the users as well as nonusers. As it has cancer-causing agent, government has taken many precautions to save the youngsters from this life killing tobacco. Prohibiting tobacco in universities is really a good initiative to prevent present youth from the destructive path. Almost all the schools and universities have prohibited tobacco within the campus. This policy is implemented not only for students, but also for faculty, staff, and other members in the university. Everyone has to share this responsibility to adhere this policy to save the health of our loved ones and ours. Main intension of implementing such policy is to save the life of nonsmokers and children who are becoming the victims as a result secondhand smoke. Smoking kills not only the user of it, but also the others by polluting the environment.
This policy will be helpful for preventing youth and young adults from becoming addicts. Besides all the academic researches to improve the living and standard of students, it is the most important activities universities to be taken to save the future of the youngsters. Promoting this among the students, faculty, and staff will be helpful for the government to implement this rule in a great extent to public also. Universities have started mentioning in their profile page, as they have 100% smoke-free campus policy, and included the policy of nonsmoking along with their other policies and procedure, which means this policy has become one among the policies of universities.
Works Cited
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