No one has a right to engage in an activity that can harm other people, and second-hand smoke definitely causes disease and premature death in non-smokers who are exposed to it.

The National College Health Assessment recently revealed that 26 percent of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee students smoked within the past 30 days. This is significantly higher than the national average of college students, which is at 19 percent.

For the past three years, Norris Health Center has been receiving grants to help address tobacco issues on campus. Last years grant was focused of smoking cessation; Norris used the grant money to train Norris employees on how to counsel students, hire speakers to promote non-smoking, and create outreach for those students who are interested in smoking.

Norris currently offers free counseling for students who are interested in quitting smoking, and the pharmacy sells smoking cessation products, such as patches, gums, lozenges and prescription Zyban, at highly discounted prices.

The attempt to get more students to quit, however, was not as effective as anticipated, with only about 35 smoking cessation-counseling appointments made last year at Norris, which has led to a new and different direction.

This year, Norris has received two grants, one from The Milwaukee Health Department and one from The American Lung Association. The purpose of both of these grants is to address the need for a smoke-free air policy changes not only on campus but also within the Milwaukee area as well. The point is to implement some kind of advocacy and to empower young people to work against social tobacco norms on campus.

To advocate the importance of these risks Norris is hiring two students, under the supervision of Laura Anne Stuart, the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness Program Manager for the Norris Health Center, to essentially develop a plan to promote a smoke-free environment on campus and in the community.

The students will recruit other volunteer students to assist with advocacy and raise awareness about the importance of smoke-free environments for non-smokers. Additionally, the students will work to educate UWM students about the importance of the fight against the tobacco industrys marketing strategies that are targeted towards the college demographic. Smokers who wish to quit also will benefit from smoke-free environments.

Its great that the Union went smoke-free last year, but the next step is to ban smoking in the bars and restaurants that students go to in Milwaukee, said Stuart. (Then) people who want to quit will have an easier time and students who dont smoke can go without worrying that their hair and clothes are going to reek of cigarettes afterwards.

In the summer of 2006, the Surgeon General released an alarming report that outlined the heath consequences of involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke. The fact is that second-hand smoke is just as dangerous as first-hand smoke and even the smallest amount carries enormous health risks.

The toxins that smokers get from smoking are released not only through the exhalation of smoke but from the end of the lit cigarette as well. Every single toxin the smoker inhales, the people around them are involuntarily inhaling as well, which leads to the same health risks that smokers subject themselves to.

During counseling sessions, I hear that the thing that makes it hardest for people to quit is being around other people who are smoking in a bar or restaurant, said Stuart. I feel like I have to tell students that they shouldnt go out with their friends for weeks or even months while theyre trying to quit so that they can avoid this situation, which is really a shame.

A popular defense smokers like to use is that they have a right to smoke. According to Stuart, this is a distorted defense.

No one has a right to engage in an activity that can harm other people, and second-hand smoke definitely causes disease and premature death in non-smokers who are exposed to it, said Stuart.

On Tuesday, March 20, there will be a hearing in Milwaukee to discuss the proposed budget that includes a proposed increase in the tax on cigarettes. Students who are interested in advocating for a smoke-free environment are encouraged to attend to show support for the tax increase.

The language of smokers choices and rights is a misuse of those terms, in my opinion, because youre not just making a choice that affects you “ youre making a choice that affects everyone around you negatively, said Stuart.

Any students who are interested in becoming advocates or would like more information on how they can help lead in the anti-industry initiatives should contact Laura Anne Stuart of the UWM Norris Health Center.

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