Back to (Smoke-free) School
With college students returning to school this fall, smoke-free advocates are back in action. Among these advocacy groups is Tobacco Free UNLV, which, with the help of its college of nursing and government grants, is well on its way to bringing a smoke-free campus to Las Vegas.
My few loyal readers may remember my correlational "analysis" of top college football teams and smoke-free colleges from last fall. Well, I just happened to find out that current #1 Oklahoma may be going smoke-free this spring. And then I found another, more recent, article that officially announced the change. When considering that smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the US and the overwhelming amount of cigarette butts eating away at the campus' janitorial budget, University President David Boren asked, "My goodness, what are we doing to the health and well-being of the people in our community?" ...Go Sooners.
My few loyal readers may remember my correlational "analysis" of top college football teams and smoke-free colleges from last fall. Well, I just happened to find out that current #1 Oklahoma may be going smoke-free this spring. And then I found another, more recent, article that officially announced the change. When considering that smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the US and the overwhelming amount of cigarette butts eating away at the campus' janitorial budget, University President David Boren asked, "My goodness, what are we doing to the health and well-being of the people in our community?" ...Go Sooners.
Other campuses, like that of the University of Missouri, are taking more incremental steps toward smoke-free policies, yet are facing significant opposition. Given the success of other schools, perhaps it's less "painful" for everyone to skip these steps and go straight to a smoke-free policy--like ripping off a band-aid rather than doing a little bit at a time. Either way, with mounting evidence that smoke-free policies are effective on college campuses, the future looks bright. At the University of Michigan and the University of Kentucky, two of the first major public universities to go smoke-free, officials say that smoking is indeed less common and more people are enrolling in tobacco cessation programs. Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights reports that 120 colleges, or approximately 25% of the current list of smoke-free campuses, went smoke-free in the past year. How many will it be this year? I don't have a count on the total number of colleges in the United States, but assuming there are at least 1000, I'm predicting that we'll get to this number by July 1, 2014.
Thirdhand Smoke, continued
Thirdhand Smoke, continued
Ever start talking to someone and get the sudden feeling that you're talking to an ashtray? Once the unmistakeable odor of recently-burnt cigarette travels from that person's clothing/mouth and into your nostrils, you're distracted, right? A recent article in the Huffington Post suggests that this isn't merely a feeling of repulsion, but a signal to run away. To mitigate the effects of 'third-hand smoke,' the Indiana University Health medical center has expanded its nonsmoking campus policy by prohibiting employees from smoking during the workday--which means no more smoke breaks. Dr. Richard Graffis, executive vice-president and chief medical officer of IU Health believes that this measure will prevent particles and toxins in thirdhand smoke from accumulating in the medical center. After all, research has already shown that these toxins do build up over time from secondhand smoke, most notably in residences and hotel rooms where smoking is permitted. Although the risk of third-hand smoke is certainly lower than that of secondhand smoke, hospital patients--especially those with respiratory problems--deserve care in the most smoke-free environments that we can provide, even if that means compromising hospital employees' freedom to smoke during the workday. Graffis said, "We're in the business of protecting people's health...It's ironic that a health care worker could be a vector of toxins." As for the policy's enforcement, Graffis warned that smokers are "self-incriminating," and although they have no hidden cameras, "if they go out and smoke, we'll know."
American Indians: Turning on Tobacco?
On July 20, the Navajo Nation's Tribal Council passed legislation to prohibit commercial smoking and chewing tobacco, with casinos as the only exemptions. After a presidential veto, an override vote fell two short of success. At 32.4%, American Indians and Alaska Natives have the highest smoking rate of any racial or ethnic group in the United States. However, this group is also one of the most impoverished, so the revenue generated from tobacco sales is important to the tribe's economic stability. Still, the fact that the Navajo Nation was two votes away from banning smoking goes to show how far the influence of scientific research and public health advocacy has come. This is a great sign of hope for the future, as big tobacco could feasibly lose some of their most loyal (and founding) customers.
The State of Smoking in America
A recent poll has suggested that one in four Americans have less respect for people who smoke, which is more than twice as many of those who look down on fat people. Although I'm somewhat glad to hear that a relatively small percentage is averse to obesity, it's certainly a shame that smokers endure this stigma. Like I mentioned last month, nicotine addiction is not an inherent trait for anyone, and for many, it is more avoidable than obesity.
According to a recent CDC study, about one in five Americans smoke, and although smoking rates have declined over the past five years, they haven't declined as much as they did in the previous five years. If this current rate persist, about 17% of Americans will be smokers in 2020, which is higher than what some have previously predicted at about 12%. The good news, as this article states, is that heavy smoking has dropped from 12.7% in 2005 to 8.3% in 2010. But on the other hand, light/casual smoking is on the rise, especially among teenagers. Smoking in New York City, where a public smoking ban was recently implemented, is at an all-time low of 14%.
On a somewhat related note, Health.com recently listed the "10 states most addicted to smoking." Here they are:
- Arkansas
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- West Virginia
Other News:
- Back in March, I discussed how e-cigarette use was becoming a point of controversy on airplanes. Now, the federal government is looking to ban their use on flights. The public has until November 14 to submit comments about the proposed ban via www.regulations.gov. One critic asked, "How do you ban a product from a plane when it doesn't do anything?" My answer: Although e-cigarettes do not pose a threat to surrounding people's physical health, they may foster misconceptions and general confusion about the government's stance--and, by extension, society's stance on smoking. If nothing else, I say that we should ban them for the sake of impressionable children who can't tell the difference.
- Speaking of children, a recent study has shown that kids ages 6-11 who live with at least one person who smokes indoors miss, on average, one day more of school per year than kids who don't live with indoor smokers. Moreover, kids who live with two or more indoor smokers miss, on average, an additional half-day of school per year. I don't want to point any fingers, but...
- On September 12, Utah's Indoor Clean Air Act went into effect, which--on paper--held hookah smoke on par with cigarette smoke, but now it appears that hookah bar owners will be rejoicing due to a new definition of "lighted tobacco." How unfortunate.
- Lastly, I ran across an article that mentions how the grandson of R.J. Reynolds, Patrick Reynolds, started the Foundation for a Smoke-free America. He also happens to be an heir of his grandfather's tobacco fortune. This was news to me, as I think this is incredibly ironic, yet clearly awesome.
