It’s official. Daytona State College’s District Board of Trustees has prohibited the use of tobacco products on all college property effective Aug. 1. The new college policy, which follows a national trend in higher education, notes that the ban is a matter of Daytona State’s responsibility to provide a “safe, healthy and productive learning environment for students, employees and visitors.” Individuals still may smoke in their personal vehicles parked on college property.
Melanie McDonough, program director for the respiratory program, was among many college employees and students who advocated for a tobacco- free campus policy. She noted that the ban was not an attempt to penalize tobacco users. "Seventy percent of American smokers want to quit,” she said. “Most are just unable. This policy is about educating. It’s about not enabling. We need to be a part of the reason for people to quit.”
According to the American Non-Smokers’ Rights Foundation, as of April 5 this year there are at least 1,159 college campuses nationwide that have gone 100-percent smoke-free. Of these, 783 have gone entirely tobacco-free, with still more considering their own policies. Among them are nearly all institutions in the Central Florida region which have already adopted tobacco-free campus policies or are considering them.
