NYT: New Jersey Bans Smoking in All College Dormitories

[DeepModem Mom]

New Jersey Bans Smoking in All College Dormitories
By JOHN HOLL
Published: August 23, 2005


MADISON, N.J., Aug 22 - New Jersey allows smoking in bars, restaurants and some office buildings. But it has taken a step to limit smoking with a ban on lighting up in all college and university dormitories in the state, signed into law on Monday by Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey.

Saying the law would improve the safety of all students, Mr. Codey said smoking in dormitories was the second leading cause of fire injuries on campuses.

During the signing at Drew University in Madison, where Mr. Codey's oldest son, Kevin, is a junior, the governor said the law was the most comprehensive academic ban in the country. Two other states, Wisconsin and Connecticut, ban smoking in the dormitories of public colleges and universities, but have no laws against smoking in the dormitories of private institutions.

New Jersey lawmakers have been working on a comprehensive no-smoking policy for years, and this year the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee approved a bill to ban smoking in restaurants and casinos. The legislation was not scheduled for a vote by the State Senate and has stalled....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/23/nyregion/23smoke.html

[Stuckinthebush]

1. Sounds wise

I remember seeing a few fires almost started in my old dormitory because of cigarettes.

It's going to be hell to enforce, however.

[formerrepuke]

2. I started smoking in college (have since quit); maybe this would

have been a deterrent..?

[meganmonkey]

3. Good luck with that

:shrug:

[kenny blankenship]

4. I don't get this

You mean college students are no longer supposed to smoke pot in NJ? What kind of fucked up new world are we living in?

It just seems futile as a public health measure--a pointless political gesture. If you're living in NJ and breathing the air you may as well smoke cigarettes too. The carcinogens in the coffin nail between your fingers are nothing compared to what's floating on the wind.

[Toots]

5. Well one step to cleaning up the air is to eliminate smoking in as many

public places as possible. The cleaning of our vital air supply has to begin somewhere. The human being needs three things to sustain life. Food, Water, and Air. You would not tolerate for a minute someone pissing in your public water supply and yet piss has a small fraction of carcinogens that cigarette smoke has.

[Sivafae]

15. What about the other toxic stuff in our air supply?

The rates of lung cancer of non-smokers are rising, that doesn't happen just by smoking tobacco alone ya know.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

6. Remember when 'smoking' was banned in dorms...

And I don't mean tobacco.

Ya, that worked too.:rofl:

[CGrantt57]

7. Makes sense to me...

Otherwise, how are all those college students going to enjoy the piquant fragrance that is New Jersey?

Nothing like waking up to the smell of oil refineries and burning turds to start your day off right...

[rfkrfk]

8. these kids will grow up to be voters

if they haven't done so already.
Could someone explain the logic of angering the voters.

[Bridget Burke]

9. The "kids" who don't smoke will be voters longer....

Than the ones who do.

[rfkrfk]

12. on average, one election cycle,, in the mean time, another enemy.nt

[Bridget Burke]

13. Was this policy instituted by Democrats?

What does it have to do with voting?

[rfkrfk]

18. is this a partisan issue, or not?

my point is, smoking bans creates determined enemies,

but also sorta pleases current friends

friends get one vote, like everyone else

[northzax]

10. well, I can see doing this in public dorms

but I don't like mandating it in Private colleges and universities. If Princeton wants to allow smoking, it's their right to do so, as long as they provide non-smoking accomodations to anyone who wants them.

of course, the fact that this will create more of a mystique about smoking, now that it's forbidden, and will make it easier to bust pot smokers, no one considers.

[Danmel]

11. Sounds good to me

It is good to discourage smoking especially at a time that many people start to smoke.

I'm in NY, the lad of clean indoor air and this past weekend we were in MAryland and people were smoking in the restaurant and I have to tell you it was weird seeing people smoking indoors!

It wasn't long ago that people smoked in movie theaters, supermarkets, malls, hospitals! So incrementally you change the atmosphere (figuratively and literally) and hopefully we'll all be healthier for it.

[ucmike]

14. it's nj. we have a rule for everything.

most of them about what you can't do.

i'm pretty sure that most dorms have smoking policies already. i don't know many places around here except bars/restaraunts that allow smoking.

[Threedifferentones]

16. I imagine that most schools, like mine,

already have dorms or floors divided into smoking and non-smoking sections. However if smoking is proving to be a serious fire hazard in dorms than I can certainly understand the ban. Having a fire break out in a 15 story building with thousands of students in it is not a good thing.

Oh and it is very easy to hide the smell of pot, especially since it doesn't stick to things the way cigarette smoke does.

[ixion]

17. to all you non smokers out there who get off on laws like this:

you can all go to hell, as far as I'm concerned. :evilgrin:

[lakemonster11]

19. I don't think I've ever been in a dorm

where smoking was allowed. Weird.

[Endangered Specie]

20. Good.

Please, if your going to poison yourself, dont take anyone else with you.