Students Adjust To Smoking Prohibition

One school’s smoking prohibition is creating a litter problem in another segment of the community. Oklahoma City University is the first college in the state to entire ban smoking earlier this year. Since then, students at the school who smoke have crossed the street to light up at a city-owned bus stop.

Kristyn Chalker, a sophomore said: “All of a sudden, you can’t smoke anywhere. I’m not really a smoker, but I just feel like it’s kind of unfair to a lot of the people. A lot of the times, they just go right across the street to where the campus ends.” Shayna Vercillo, a junior, said: “It’s caused quite uproar. I do think, as a campus, we’re trying to be more health-conscious. You just have to really make an effort to stop.” The prohibition has left the school clean and clear and free from smoke. But it’s a different story on the edge of campus as students light up as soon as they leave the grounds.

Logan O’Reilly, a freshman, said: “You have to walk across the street and you have to make sure that you’re off campus or the cops will find you.”

Students who smoke at the bus stop are leaving a mess of cigarette butts behind. Students are sure that it should be the city’s responsibility to provide a trash can.

Chief Lyndel Harris, of the Oklahoma City University Police Department, said: “We’ve had a few problems and a few violators, but nothing real serious.”

Oklahoma City University’s Edmond campus and the University of Oklahoma in Norman don’t have a tobacco policy. Students can smoke 25 feet from buildings. Oklahoma State University in Stillwater has a complete tobacco prohibition, meaning students can’t smoke anywhere on campus.

Warned, but not fined

The man was himself present in the city, behind the country-wide smoking ban, union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss, and the first day of the prohibition began with huge awareness campaigns. No one in the city was fined. But, many people, including several others, police constables and bus drivers were warned by the squads sent out by the health department and other sections.

Union minister Ramadoss, who started distributing lampoons at the City Mofussil Bus Terminal (CMBT) in Koyambedu , told several bus conductors, drivers and passersby that people would have to stub it out in public from Thursday. He told: “Many women and youngsters have welcomed this. They congratulated me for launching the battle against the tobacco lobby. I also once again read out the list of ‘public places’ as defined by the Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Rules, 2008 to the people gathered around. Smoking had been banned in all government or private buildings and public places like libraries, cafes, restaurants, schools, pubs or discos, stadiums, airports, hospitals, bus stands, railway stations, police stations, courts, auditoriums or cinemas . Smokers can light up by the roadside or in their homes.”

He also added: “They can also indulge in the habit in open public spaces such as parks or the beach. I am passionate about implementing this act. I hope the people will volunteer to help us implement this Act and give non-smokers their right to a nicotine-free environment. Though the designated officers, including those from the police and health departments, and other officials went around the city, they restricted themselves to just warning people against smoking in public places.”

The city’s chief health officer, B Kuganandam said: “We did not fine them today. We will start fining from Monday. Our purpose is to create awareness now. But in general the public response was good.”

Commissioner of police R Sekar said: “Most smokers were asked to either stub out the cigarettes or go to the roadsides. In the districts, however, the authorities have begun imposing the fine. More than 150 people were asked to cough up Rs 200 for violating the ban in hospitals, bus stops and cinemas at several places. While at least 85 persons were caught in the act in Villupuram, the other districts together reported more than 500 cases.”

“Some of them were constables smoking in police stations and others included hospital staff or attenders of patients,” informed state anti-tobacco cell coordinator Selvavinayagam . Health secretary V K Subburaj said: “We have not started fining people today. But we would not spare them if they violate the rules.”

Smoking can Provoke Fires

Researchers said that only smoking ban can reduce fire risk of cigarettes. Even smokers will need to continue to dispose of their cigarettes and ash carefully.

The "reduced fire risk" cigarettes are common in Europe and the United States, where they are mandatory in 36 states, but not in Australia.

Tobacco manufacturers in Australia will only be able to sell self-extinguishing cigarettes within two years.
Cigarette manufacturers from Australia will have to remove burn additives which keep cigarettes alight.

A report released by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in June estimated the new cigarettes would result in savings in property damage across Australia exceeding $100 million a year.

New South Wales (NSW) Fire Brigades has been lobbying at state and federal levels for new regulations.

It commissioned a report, which found that fires started by cigarettes were responsible for 67 deaths across Australia between 2000 and 2006.

Greg Mullins, NSW Fire Brigade commissioner, said: "We think that's a very conservative figure. Often when there's a fire, there's no evidence left to be able to state the cause beyond reasonable doubt and with many fires, we're sure that they were started by cigarettes but haven't been able to prove it."

Mr. Mullins said studies on the introduction of reduced fire risk cigarettes in New York State found a 40 percent reduction in the number of fire deaths.

He added: "In a country like ours, the impact could even be greater with our already high bushfire risk. At least 7 percent of bushfires are started by discarded cigarettes."

Researchers consider that reduced fire risk cigarettes will be just that - reduced fire risk not more. Smokers will need only to continue to dispose of their cigarettes and ash carefully.

Not all People like to Smell like Smoke

In our days to puff on a cigarette or to walk with a cigarette in a hand is something ordinary.

But beginning with July 1, when the Nacogdoches City Council passed a No Smoking Ordinance, the city became effectively smoke-free in all public places. The purpose of the new legislation is to promote public health and to reduce smoking among population.

The American Lung Association released a report on Sept. 8 which found that fewer college students are smoking than ever before.

Of 40 people surveyed in an informal Scottish Football Association (SFA) poll, only four said that they smoke occasionally.

"I think its crap that I can't smoke in a bar. I understand not being able to smoke in a restaurant, but you should be allowed to smoke in a bar," said Joey Smith, Houston senior.

In a study was shown that students at 109 schools reported seeing tobacco promotions in an event on campus.
Most smokers think that the smoking ban is a good idea for restaurants because kids are around.

Also, The American Lung Association calls upon the higher education community to join the Smoke free Air 2010 Challenge, a nationwide movement for to eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke in public places and workplaces no later than 2010.

For example here are a few policies and initiatives suggested for this school year:

Provide smoking cessation programs to all students, faculty and staff; Promote and fund research to design and implement smoking and tobacco use interventions that specifically target college students.

Anti-smoking campaign saved 55,000 lives

Research has shown, a national anti-smoking ads have prompted nearly 200,000 people to give up and should prevent about 55,000 deaths.

Professor Susan Hurley, the author of the new report published online in the international journal Tobacco Control, said: “The first six months of the National Tobacco Campaign (NTC) in 1997 was the most intensive, and costly. At the time the impact of the campaign was closely monitored and it was estimated that about 190,000 Australians quit smoking. Lung cancer, heart attack, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or emphysema, accounted for about 80 per cent of illness and death caused by smoking.

Among the 190,000 people estimated to have quit smoking during the first six months of the campaign alone, almost 55,000 deaths and 57,000 cases of disease would be prevented. The campaign ran nationally from June 1997 until July 2000, and again in 2004. Within four years of the campaign starting, the health care savings had exceeded the cost of the advertisement. Very few health programs save more than they cost, but the NTC did.”

Fiona Sharkie, executive director of Quit Victoria said: “When this campaign was launched 10 years ago it was the first time that smokers really saw real life situations of what happened to their bodies as a result of their habit.”

Ms Sharkie called on Federal and state authority to continue funding anti-smoking ads, because the evidence showed such campaigns were successful.