No Butts On Some College Campuses

By Dr. Marciene Mattleman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Universities and colleges have become the latest target for anti-smoking groups. When George Washington University announced a ban on on-campus smoking on the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout on November 15th, protesters chain smoked for hours declaring freedoms will be destroyed and a ban will push students in unsafe places and in public streets.

More than 800 colleges have banned indoor smoking; the new bans are addressing outdoor space. Some schools announce a semester or year in advance for a transition; half price or free cessation plans are offered.

Implementation is difficult. Some schools impose fines; others have disciplinary boards, but most depend on community to self-enforce.

Monitoring the Future estimates that from 1999-2011 smoking declined 31% and although it's still declining, the pace is slower. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Surgeon General have stated that there is, "no safe level of exposure for secondhand smoke."

Read "No Butts" by Jenna Johnson in The Washington Post.