Pointlife
Students respond to current and proposed smoking laws
The Pointer
nmeye177@uwsp.edu
Governor Doyle wants people in Wisconsin to stop smoking, immediately. He wants a statewide, no-exemption, workplace smoking prohibition enacted as soon as possible. The bill written to help him reach the goal of banning smoking in Wisconsin is embedded in the 2009-2011 state budget along with a 75 cent tax increase on cigarettes.
The tax would generate an estimated $291 million in two years. Doyle is also proposing cutting $1.8 million from programs that provide help to smokers looking to quit. That number is in addition to the $2 million in cuts already scheduled for this year.
The bill will ban smoking in all public places, including restaurants and bars, causing an outpouring of rage from restaurant and bar owners across the state. For many bar owners already facing the pinch of recession, the bill spells doom for their business.
For some students at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point the possibility of a statewide smoking ban is a pleasant one.
“Personally, smoking disgusts me,” said Drew Frisk. “I like the idea, but it’s people’s personal choice, ultimately.”
Every eight seconds someone dies from tobacco use, according to the World Health Organization. That means in the time it takes to read this article 37 people will have died. But should these people be forced out of their favorite places because of a legal habit they have?
“Smokers have rights, too,” said student Jordan Held. “I think its going to affect a lot of things like bars and even gas stations; a lot of people are going to be angry. People were already mad enough with the dollar raise in tax a few years ago.”
Smokers on campus are already designated to certain areas and, speaking with smokers, it seems the adjustment to not being able to smoke in their favorite bar or restaurant won’t be a difficult one.
“People can walk outside and have their cigarette; it seems to be working well in Madison,” said student and smoker Casey Moccero. “During the winter it might be a little discomforting, but if they want to make a ban like that, look for feedback from the business that it’ll affect.”
Smoking on campus can easily cause discomfort for non-smokers. Smokers tend to flock toward building entrances, especially in the winter, causing people to have to walk through their smoke clouds.
“It’s not as bad as being trapped with someone in a car,” said Held. “I’ve learned little ways around smelling it; I hold my breath.”
The smell that is so off-putting to non-smokers also lingers in with those who smoke and can be hard to deal with in close classroom seating arrangements.
“I’ve had it happen a couple of times and it’s hard to focus, and you have to find a way to not smell them. It’s not really a smell you can ignore,” said Frisk.
The university’s current policy on smoking states that the main entrances and ventilation intake locations of all campus buildings are designated smoke-free and smoking near campus buildings is permitted only at designated entrances. This means that at least one entrance per building be designated a smoking area.
In the past, the university has tried banning smoking altogether, indoors and outdoors, on campus. The Environmental Health and Safety Committee proposed the idea and conducted research into smoking on campus. According to their resolution to make UW-SP a smoke-free campus written in 2006, 82 percent of UW-SP students didn’t smoke and 78 percent preferred to socialize in a smoke-free environment.
According to meeting minutes from 2007 for the EHSC, students supported the ban in a survey in 2006 by over 70 percent and by 65 percent in an informal e-mail survey in 2007. The resolution made it to Faculty Senate, but was never implemented.
Students that voted in these surveys ultimately would prefer to not see smoking on campus. Some smokers are quitting due to increased taxes and legislation, but people still desire to smoke.
For those looking to quit, UW-SP does offer a range of cessation programs; stop by the health center for more information.
