College smoking bans stifle rights to indulge
Recently, the University of Maine has imposed a smoking ban on its students, forbidding them from smoking any tobacco products on campus grounds. Other colleges, such as Vassar, are considering similar bans on smoking.
I can see why colleges would consider such bans. Smoking leads to an increased risk of health problems such as cancer and strokes. By making it against school policy to smoke tobacco products on campus, students would be less likely to keep smoking because it would be too inconvenient to keep going off campus to have a smoke. It’s good to see that colleges care about the health of their students and faculty; however, the way they are going about caring for the health of their communities is both oppressive and wrong.
Think about it – a college or university bans smoking in an attempt to keep its community healthy, and the number of people in the community who smoke goes down. Due to this result, the administration decides to outlaw all junk foods and red meat because they contribute to hypertension and morbid obesity. Wait, what? Exactly.
By allowing the college to outlaw smoking, a completely legal activity, they are opening the floodgates of fascism that would allow the administration of the college to impose whatever restrictions or sanctions they wish on the community of the college, all in the name of “the good of the community.” If they wanted, they could outlaw certain kinds of clothes or music, because they may “upset” the mental or moral well being and status of the community, or whatever other reason they may want to give.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating smoking. I am just saying that the idea of banning smoking or another legal activity would set a precedent that could later be abused to take away freedoms and liberties that we are able to enjoy under the law. It is a good thing the people at the University of Maine want to try to make their community healthier, but rather than playing the role of big brother and outright banning smoking, they should instead offer programs and support groups to help people quit smoking.
Tobacco products can give you cancer and other health problems, but packaging has displayed this warning since the 60s. People who smoke know it’s bad for them, but it is one of their vices, or a guilty pleasure, and I ask you: who among us doesn’t have at least one vice?
Smokers smoke for the same reason you indulge in your own guilty pleasure: to take a break and relax, even if it is only for a short time, which they are free to do by law. By not placing a ban on smoking, we allow the principles of freedom that let us live our lives independently here in America.
So the next time you drink that shot, eat that food you love but know you shouldn’t have, or light that cigarette, enjoy it; not just for yourself, but for freedom and the American way.
By Chris Turek, Maristcircle
