Show Smokers mo ers rights rig ts under un er fire re Jeff Wall Contributing Writer Local smoke free environment trends are making it harder for smokers to find a place where they are welcome to light up And now Campuses are becoming targets for fora a new policy that will ban smoking on campus According to the Tobacco Prevention and Control Report of 2006 issued by bythe bythe bythe the Utah Department of Health six Utah colleges have enhanced their smoking policies to limit the use of tobacco on their campuses since 2003 Is banning smoking on campus going to eliminate a problem or should funding be allocated for an on-campus on program that provides smoking cessation for those people who are interested in quitting said Preston Lindhardt a Health Promotions Specialist at the Heath and Wellness Center The communities in which most campuses are located have either adapted new laws or are in inthe inthe inthe the process of reviewing proposed ordinances that prohibit smoking in publics areas South Salt Lake City is the most recent community along the Wasatch Front to consider imposing such sucha a smoking ban on all city properties City Council members reviewed the proposed ordinance last week but postponed their decision till Jan 24 in order to clarify the wording of the ordinance If the City Council passes the proposed ordinance South Salt Lake will become the fifth city in the county with witha a smoking non-smoking law Salt Lake City adopted a their smoking non-smoking policy at atthe atthe atthe the end of last year which prohibits smoking in city parks rail light-rail stations bus Smokers Continued on page 3 i mac tit hJ J 1 f d 0 F t 1 J h Iii f Ii ar of Ii t l 11 r. r O- O j n I OJ 1 4 r t I 1 11 Ij iiI 0 if I it tt t. t i hL c M File Photo If city ordinances are passed campus could become smoke South City Campus is one campus already under smoking restrictions Smokers rights rights' v Continued from page 1 stops and within 50 feet of mass gatherings The Salt Lake City smoking non-smoking ordinance is a good one said John Evans an undergrad student preparing to study bio But I haven't noticed a problem with on campus smokers and dont don't see a reason for fora a change to the current policy the current smoking policy restricts smoking within 25 feet of any door or opening in accordance with the Utah Clean Air Act I try not to smoke around non said Cameo Patch a current student and a smoker seated at a snow covered table outside the Student Center I just wish the tables further away from the doors had better access in the winter in regards to snow removal Both Patch and Evans agreed that smokers non-smokers have the right to be in a smoke free environment and smokers have the right to smoke making the adaptation of these new ordinances a tricky Human rights issue If there is a change to the policy coming it hasn't been confirmed by any officials |