While I understand the concerns of habitual smokers and their rights to smoke (John Hein's Jan. 28 letter"Attempts to ban smoking infringe on citizens' rights,") wherever they please, what about my rights? As an avid non-smoker, why should I have to put up with smoke being blown in my face, even accidentally, while I'm walking to class? I've made a choice to refrain from smoking for personal reasons. I had a lung cancer scare in September, and I have to get CT Scans to check on my condition every six months. I believe, as Mr. Heins says, that banning the sales of cigarettes would be the ultimate goal of a group like Project Smokeless, but this is not a realistic first step. If we were able to ban smoking on campus, maybe that would cut down on the number of cigarettes the habitual smoker smokes each day. Maybe that could help them realize that smoking is a very dangerous habit both to themselves and those around them. And of course it would benefit those who refrain from smoking with cleaner, purer air to breathe.
The argument I'm making as to why we should ban smoking on campus is not just to benefit myself and other non-smokers. I think it would be beneficial for all parties involved. Project Smokeless isn't about taking away your rights as citizens, it's about striving for a healthier and happier quality of life without cigarettes. Smoking causes 440,000 deaths annually in the United States, and worse, 3,000 deaths annually from secondhand smoke. I'm sorry, but that is one statistic that I do not want to be part of.
Kelly Reinhardt
sophomore- health policy administration
