Plan for tobacco ban at WSU presented

Using tobacco or e-cigarettes could soon be banned at Washington State University.

Proposed rules banning smoking were presented this week at a public forum on the Pullman campus. The rules would ban “all forms of tobacco and any nicotine delivery devices, including electronic cigarettes, in or on WSU Pullman campus grounds and state-owned vehicles and equipment.”

The WSU board of regents is scheduled to vote on the rules on May 8.

The proposal is the result of a WSU referendum passed by students last year advocating a tobacco-free Pullman campus. The measure passed with about 60 percent support, according to WSU. Only 20 percent of undergraduates participated in the vote.

As a result of the referendum, WSU created a task force to recommend policies prohibiting tobacco.

WSU’s current policy follows state law requiring smokers to be at least 25 feet away from a building. WSU’s Spokane and Vancouver campuses already prohibit all tobacco.

Bill Gardner, executive director of public safety at the university, said the policy is enforced after complaints are made. This new policy won’t be any different, he said.

A person violating the rule could get an infraction, but Gardner said those are rarely given out. He said officials use “a progressive approach” where they will remind the person or the person’s supervisor that they cannot use tobacco. He said people are usually very compliant and he does not expect that to change under the new rule.

“The end goal is not to enforce it to death on people,” he said.

Ushers working at WSU events like football games will be responsible for reminding visitors about the new policy. Tailgaters still will be allowed to smoke inside recreational vehicles on campus because they are private property, he said.

The goal is to create a healthier campus environment while encouraging college-age students to quit smoking. According to information passed out at the forum, the 2012 Surgeon General’s Report shows “99 percent of smokers begin smoking and using other forms of tobacco by age 26, making college and university campuses a critical target for tobacco use prevention and cessation efforts.”

WSU Health and Wellness Services provides tobacco cessation aids such as nicotine patches free to students and employees.

Secondhand exposure to smoke is also a concern cited by advocates of the proposed ban. Bruce Wright, executive director of Health and Wellness Services, said even a small amount of exposure is unsafe.

“There’s no level of exposure to smoke that you can say is safe,” he said.

Students and employees have until Feb. 6 to comment on the new rules by contacting the WSU Office of Procedures, Records and Forms. There also will be a public hearing on April 7.