Local, state and federal law permits smoking in outdoor areas. Additionally, an adult’s choice to smoke is generally accepted – albeit not condoned – by our society. There have been no serious attempts to amend laws regarding an adult’s general right to smoke, and most regulations – notably the Food and Drug Administration’s ban on flavored tobacco – have been aimed at curbing tobacco’s appeal to minors. Since, with very few exceptions, Northeastern students are legal adults, the university should not hold them to a higher standard. Even the occasional minors enrolled at Northeastern are allowed to smoke under Massachusetts law (they just may not purchase tobacco products and adults may not purchase said products for them).
To a certain extent, Northeastern already plays a role in student health. The most obvious example of this is the university’s reaction to student alcohol consumption, but this is a completely different dynamic. Northeastern Division of Public Safety (NUPD) officers and the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSSCR) enforce existing laws regarding alcohol, and respond to situations in which alcohol consumption puts students in imminent danger. But legal consumption of alcohol – including in residence halls – is permitted within reason.
The same parallel could be drawn in regard to the dining halls. Dining Services provides healthy food options for those who desire them and takes reasonable steps to ensure all food meets a basic standard, yet there is no one in the dining halls to prevent a student from living off of pizza, hamburgers and cookies – a lifestyle choice that would clearly be detrimental to said student’s health.
In other areas regarding student health, Northeastern provides excellent services to students who wish to utilize them. Of course the same should be true for services to help quit smoking. On Tuesday, university officials announced a new program for students trying to swear off tobacco called Ready to Quit! This program, which incorporates counseling, technology and free access to tobacco replacement products, is a laudable initiative and is exactly what the university should be doing to improve student health; it offers support to students who need it without aiming to make decisions for them.
The argument has also been made that the proposed smoke-free campus is necessary to protect students who choose not to use tobacco from second-hand smoke. These students deserve sympathy; even in small amounts, second-hand smoke is unhealthy – especially for students with respiratory issues.
In shielding nonsmokers though, designated smoking areas would be even more effective. Because streets like Forsyth Street, and Huntington and Columbus avenues – as well the sidewalks that adjoin them – belong to the city, the university has no authority to prohibit smoking on them. Therefore, as John Auberbach, the director of the Institute on Urban Health Research admitted at Tuesday’s forum, any Northeastern smoking ban would not extend to these areas. Thus, it is not hard to presume that students who would otherwise be smoking on campus would be lining the sidewalks on these streets, which are all busy pedestrian throughways. By turning the sidewalk on Forsyth Street into a de facto smoking zone, this policy could foster even more exposure to second-hand smoke than the status quo.
A more viable alternative would be designated smoking areas that are numerous and close to central areas on campus, but away from areas with heavy foot traffic – such as behind the Forsyth Building. If these areas are convenient enough, and the restriction of smoking to these areas is enforced with a vigor that the university has not shown in regards to current smoking policies, this plan could work. Such a policy would allow students to make their own health choices and would be more effective in shielding students from second hand smoke than a complete ban or the status quo, and should be pursued by Northeastern students and officials.
