Tobacco-free college campuses

Tobacco-free college campuses are institutions that have implemented policies banning the use of tobacco products in all indoor and outdoor areas.

While some schools only prohibit smoking, others extend the ban to include all forms of tobacco, cannabis, and similar substances.

Numerous surveys have indicated that implementing tobacco-free policies reduces students exposure to secondhand smoke on campuses.

[2]In 1990, San Luis Obispo, California, became the first city in the world to completely ban smoking in all public places.

[9] Many schools are helping students quit using tobacco on campus by providing counseling, online support, and nicotine replacements such as gum, patches, and lozenges.

[11] Cessation programs that educate, inform, and influence users to quit smoking are often posited as alternative to tobacco bans.

In 2014, an observational study performed by numerous tobacco truth organizations indicated areas where progress was more inhibited than others.

Some have used this to argue that community colleges and poverty-stricken locations simply lack funding and opportunity to develop educational policies and programs.

[15] A study published in 2020 has found that social norms, smoking status, second-hand smoke exposure, and socio-demographic factors all play a role in determining the attitudes and behaviors of students, staff and faculty towards smoke-free campuses and in turn can affect the success of tobacco-free campus initiatives.