Oswego State as a tobacco free campus helps more than just the environment; it helps our peers, professors, and most importantly, ourselves. What it does not help is the smokers on campus. The concerns for nicotine addicts in these situations are too often neglected.

The lack of a designated area for students to smoke could prove to be worse for non-smokers on campus by providing no incentive for smokers to keep it away from others.

Smoking can be harmful, and in fact, a tobacco free campus can make the school better in various ways. It can make the environment a healthier one. Tobacco pollutes the air, and exposes people to second hand smoking, which can be just as bad as actually smoking the tobacco.

When walking past a person smoking, of course it is possible  to hold one’s breath or avoid the smoker to not inhale the smoke from the cigarette. Accidental inhalation could cause lungs to turn black, which is something smoking can actually do to a person, along with other symptoms. Despite this fact, people continue to smoke, and because people continue to smoke, Oswego State should accommodate the smokers on campus.

In some restaurants and hotels, there are sections for smokers and nonsmokers. This division was made to satisfy both parties. So why not have the same setup on Oswego State’s campus?

While of course smoking and other tobacco usage should not be promoted, adults should be free to use whatever legal substances they wish. A fact often overlooked is that tobacco users and in fact vapor pen users are often addicted to the nicotine that these products contain. Unfortunate though it may be, a long day for a nicotine addict without the ability to have their cigarette or vape could result in serious health or mood issues.

To help students like this, there should be a section provided on campus for students to smoke freely. This section does not have to be humongous. It can be as small as the back of Penfield Library, or even the Cayuga field, but having this section will be convenient to both the nonsmokers and the smokers on campus.

Although Oswego State is a tobacco free campus, students still get around the rules. I see students smoking every day on my way to class without fear of being caught.

“I think it is great our school is tobacco free. I hate the smell of cigarettes,” said junior Ryan Rodriguez. Having a smoking section will prevent this sort of reaction from students. Smokers will be allowed to smoke for as long as they like at any time of the day without disrupting the non-smokers.

Why continue to torture the nonsmokers on campus, when this problem can be solved?

It is great that the school wants to protect the health of students, but not everyone follows this code of conduct, and to best help the smokers and nonsmokers on campus, a safe space should be created for everyone.

Photo: Taylor Woods | The Oswegonian