A few years back, I was disappointed when Bemidji State University–the college nearest where I grew up, where I attended music camp, and where my brother graduated–initiated a strict no-tobacco policy.
I was disappointed because under the guise of providing “the public with a safe and healthy work environment” the ban included snuff, which hurts no one but potentially the user. And “to establish a tobacco-free environment,” the ban included eCigarettes, which don’t even use tobacco.
It seemed the desire to “do good” got the better of BSU, drifting their policy into the territory of controlling, intolerant, and doing so by targeting a particular population whom Progressive society has deemed it okay to pick on: tobacco users.
The bullying continues.
Three weeks ago, Hennepin county voted to 6-1 to ban the use of electronic smoking devices in any public, indoor facility. There’s no evidence of physical harm to others when these devices are used. This study found that the vapor exhaled from an e-cigarette does contain elements of nickel and chromium, but the blanket policy of BSU and now Hennepin county isn’t about such considerations.
To them, smoking is evil. Period. And such simplistic thinking leads to bad policy.
Beyond being unreasonable, such policy is harmful. Electronic cigarettes offer a huge benefit. People who use them are not smoking actual cigarettes, which we know are deadly. We shouldn’t discourage this life-saving, cost-saving transition from tobacco cigarettes to electronic ones. We should be patting them on the back for kicking tobacco.
Plus, it’s just mean to treat people this way–relegating them down a notch on the social order and making them go outside in sub-zero weather.
I don’t write this to change BSU or Hennepin county policy. Undoing policy is legendarily difficult. I write this to those county commissioners, city council members, and college boards in other regions. You are undoubtedly being pressured and tempted to take a similar stand against all things that even resemble smoking.
I ask you to please not be unreasonable. Please don’t be bullies.
I’ve never smoked a cig in my life and would prefer people used the ecigs over real ones.
1. No 3rd hand smell. You know how clothes, used items & houses/cars reek after being owned by a smoker. It would make used items more desireable.
2. Less accidental fires. How many forest fires & house fires have been caused my careless smoking? Why should innocent people have to lose what they worked hard for when a careless butt takes it out.
3. Less garbage. I once counted 60 butts in my driveway. Why should I have to look at the trash because smokers view the world as their ashtray.
4. Less injury. I’ve had a few close calls, just walking down a sidewalk and someone with a cig in their mouth turns or pull it away to flick it and an innocent passerby could get a nasty burn.
I’m all for ecigs…as long as they help decrease the use of real ones…
Right on, Matt. To continue the argument, I’d add that this isn’t an all or nothing proposition. What would happen if left legal would be that some businesses would prevent eCig smoking and others would allow it.
Places that do would attract the users, and then they’d have a place to socialize publicly (and warmly) indoors, something that will soon be illegal in Hennepin county.
This is another problem when we make things like this illegal. We forget that we have the ability to make decisions for ourselves.
There have been a few fires in Duluth recently, attributed to improper disposal of smoking materials. On Easter, a apartment complex burned, 40+ people lost everything they owned and had no place to live because of a careless smoker.
What if someone had died in that fire? Smoking *would* have been directly been attributed to causing a death.