By Miriah Griffith

December 7, 2007 | A petition to ban smoking on the Taggart Student Center patio and other popular smoking places on Utah State University campus was signed by over 1,000 students in spring semester this year. Since then, not much action has been taken.

Ryan Barfuss, USU's prevention specialist, said the delay is mostly due to the changes in administration.

"I've only been at USU for about two weeks now, so I'm still figuring out just where the project was left off," he said. "But this policy is an initiative of mine."

The campaign originated from the Tobacco Task Force, which is composed of the Bear River Health Department, USU faculty and staff and participating students. Barfuss said the proposed policy change would ban smoking from anywhere air circulation could be impeded on campus, including the enclosed area of the TSC patio and bus enclosures.

"We aren't the anomaly," Barfuss said. "There are campuses all over the nation going completely smoke free."

The policy would also ban smoking on A-Days, concert events and other concentrated gatherings of people on campus.

"When someone smokes in the middle of a tightly packed crowd, it ripples out and affects everyone around them," he said.

Secondhand smoke, which is recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency as a cause of cancer, is a combination of sidestream smoke, the smoke given off by the burning end of a tobacco product, and the smoke exhaled by the smoker. It was attributed in 2006 by the U.S. Surgeon General as the cause of lung cancer in more than 3,000 non-smoking Americans a year.

Brian Curtis, a junior in constitutional studies, said he does not agree with the policy.

"I don't smoke and I don't particularly care for the smell, but it's their right to smoke where they want to smoke," he said. "I think people are overly concerned about the TSC patio. If you think about all the pollutants and air quality issues we have in Cache Valley, secondhand smoke outside the TSC should be the very least of our worries."

The initiative to limit second hand smoke exposure stretches far beyond university campuses. The American Lung Association reported that since 1999, 70 percent of the workforce that implemented smoke-free policies experienced increased productivity. Regulating smoking in public areas and inside public buildings has shown some desired results. The surgeon general's report in 2006 found that the median nicotine traces in nonsmokers decreased across all life stages since smoking regulations have been implemented.

Kylie Buckley, a junior in family and consumer sciences, said her rights are compromised by secondhand smoke.

"There's a lot of traffic on the TSC patio," she said. "People who have to walk through there are exposed to a lot of secondhand smoke, including pregnant women, and they can't do anything about it."

Barfuss said the problem with most anti-smoking campaigns is that they are too one-sided.

"Obviously if there were no positives to smoking, if it was all bad, no one would do it," he said. "We need to be aware of why people smoke in the first place if we want to help them quit."

The National Cancer Institute reported that when nicotene enters the brain, the brain chemistry changes temporarily, stimulating chemicals that decrease anxiety and increase relaxation. Smokers therefore feel relaxed for a short amount of time after smoking.

"If people want to smoke, they are going to find a way to smoke," Barfus said. "But 70 percent of smokers want to quit. So this policy is just one more deterrent that may help them in their effort."

Barfus said funding and enforcement are concerns. Funding all the signs and notices, in addition to figuring out practical ways of enforcing the regulations are details the Tobacco Task Force have not yet worked out.

While the policy is still in its infancy, Barfus remains optimistic about its possible future implementation. "My grandfather smoked most of his life and died of lung cancer when he was only 66 years old," he said, "so I guess I have a vested interest."

Smoking doesn't just affect one part of a person's life, he said. It affects quality of life, insurance costs, hospital bills and relationships.

"I've seen the work that's been done," he said. "We are so close. I am optimistic this policy will work."

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