College campuses kick the habit
Deb Harlow
Issue date: 11/20/08 Section: News
On the third Thursday of November every year, many smokers throughout the country collectively attempt to kick their habit.
Today marks the American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout Challenge which began in 1976. ACS uses this day to challenge smokers to quit for 24 hours in hopes of encouraging people to stop for good.
For many college students, the decision to quit is being made for them, at least while on university property. According to a report published by The American Lung Association this year, more than 130 colleges across the country are smoke-free, including indoor and outdoor areas. The same report shows that at least 500 campuses prohibit tobacco use in student housing as well.
Despite the growing trend to prohibit smoking in many areas on college campuses, the ACS reports that 28.5 percent of college students currently smoke.
After the Pennsylvania Clean Indoor Air Act went into effect on Sept. 11, the State System of Higher Education adopted one of the strictest policies in the nation on their 14 campuses, banning the use of tobacco products anywhere on university property. This action has sparked widespread student protest, and worker unions are threatening legal action.
According to Boise State University policy number 9110, they also ban the use of smoke-generating products on all campus owned or leased property. Like many other U.S. colleges and campuses across the state, LSUS is committed to providing a tobacco-free environment, banning the use of tobacco and smokeless tobacco products inside all campus facilities and outdoors within 25 feet of building entrances.
The Department of Health and Human Services of the Centers for Disease Control reported that from 1997-2001, smoking was responsible for 438,000 deaths each year. Among these, more than 123,000 were from lung cancer, with over 90,000 due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and almost 87,000 from heart disease. Statistics also show 38,000 deaths each year from secondhand smoke.
According to ACS, half of all Americans who continue to smoke will die from smoking related diseases.
Although smoking is responsible for one in five deaths in the U.S., it is also the number one preventable cause of death in the world.
Today marks the American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout Challenge which began in 1976. ACS uses this day to challenge smokers to quit for 24 hours in hopes of encouraging people to stop for good.
For many college students, the decision to quit is being made for them, at least while on university property. According to a report published by The American Lung Association this year, more than 130 colleges across the country are smoke-free, including indoor and outdoor areas. The same report shows that at least 500 campuses prohibit tobacco use in student housing as well.
Despite the growing trend to prohibit smoking in many areas on college campuses, the ACS reports that 28.5 percent of college students currently smoke.
After the Pennsylvania Clean Indoor Air Act went into effect on Sept. 11, the State System of Higher Education adopted one of the strictest policies in the nation on their 14 campuses, banning the use of tobacco products anywhere on university property. This action has sparked widespread student protest, and worker unions are threatening legal action.
According to Boise State University policy number 9110, they also ban the use of smoke-generating products on all campus owned or leased property. Like many other U.S. colleges and campuses across the state, LSUS is committed to providing a tobacco-free environment, banning the use of tobacco and smokeless tobacco products inside all campus facilities and outdoors within 25 feet of building entrances.
The Department of Health and Human Services of the Centers for Disease Control reported that from 1997-2001, smoking was responsible for 438,000 deaths each year. Among these, more than 123,000 were from lung cancer, with over 90,000 due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and almost 87,000 from heart disease. Statistics also show 38,000 deaths each year from secondhand smoke.
According to ACS, half of all Americans who continue to smoke will die from smoking related diseases.
Although smoking is responsible for one in five deaths in the U.S., it is also the number one preventable cause of death in the world.
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