Smoking bans in West Virginia University

Smoking bans in West Virginia University

Introduction

Smoking bans on West Virginia University seems to be something that has been in discussion for some time now. The bans will include not only campuses here in the state of Ohio, but it will be nationwide. This means you will not be able to go outside and light up anymore, you will actually have to leave campus grounds to smoke. This is because the National Cancer Society and the Board of Health have stepped in and said that this is important because smoking not only causes cancer, but it also causes other health problems (Marlow, 2008). Smoking not only harms the person who smokes but it also harms people around you because you smoke and second hand smoke can also cause major health problems for people who you smoke around.

Certain are Pros and Cons of Smoking ban in West Virginia:

Pros

“About 40% of nonsmoking adults and 54% of children show evidence of tobacco exposure through secondhand smoke” (PBS Newshour, 2010).

Universities have a right to ban smoking because they must protect the rights of their non-smoking student to health (Fortin, 2007).

“Smoking causes coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012).

Using the right approach to enforcement can promote up to 98% compliance (Sun, Prenzler, Buys, & McMeniman, 2012).

Cons

By reducing or quitting smoking there is a good chance people will have difficulties concentrating and experience negative feelings. (Dijkstra & DeVries, 1996).

Weight gain, irritability, anxiety, and overall sense of loss are common short-term effects of smoking cessation (Young, Rachal, & Carr, 1989).

Approximately 52% of smokers attempted, unsuccessfully, to quit in 2010 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012).

Campus smoking bans will be difficult to enforce because many campuses are woven into a surrounding town (Meiler, 2012).

Persuasive Analysis

I feel that making West Virginia University campus wide smoking ban is a mistake. Yes, smoking is hazardous to one's health and yes, second-hand smoke is also hazardous to one's health. However, it has been shown that smoking outdoors can greatly reduces the dangers of second hand smoke.

To get the kind of exposure you'd suffer indoors, you have to stand within two feet of the smoker. Move seven feet away, and you're "close to background," i.e., breathing normal air. So if the main drive behind going forward with a smoking ban is health ...