Nevada State University is the last major university in Nevada to implement a comprehensive tobacco ban, prohibiting all nicotine products on school grounds, including parking lots and pathways, as reported by KKLZ.
Assistant professor of communications Seseer Mou-Danha, who assembled the NSU Sustainability Council's Breathe with Ease team to address tobacco use on campus, pushed for the ban, stating, per Las Vegas Weekly, that "policies like this reduce smoking behavior among college students as documented in extensive research."
Not only do smoking cigarettes and vaping have a negative impact on human health, both for smokers and for those around them, but they also have a detrimental effect on the environment because of the type and amount of waste they create.
Cigarette butts, often improperly discarded, can leach toxic substances into the environment, harming plants and polluting waterways. The filters can take up to 10 years to break down and are a large contributor to man-made waste.
Disposable vaping cartridges are also harmful to the environment, as they are frequently discarded on the ground or disposed of improperly in trash bins instead of being recycled. The cartridges contain lithium batteries, which can be a fire hazard.
The plastic housing of vape cartridges can leach harmful chemicals into the soil and water and break down into microplastics — tiny plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters — that can cause further damage to ecosystems. They are nearly impossible to clean up, affecting wildlife and human health.
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The KKLZ article stated that the majority of Nevadans are in favor of smoke-free college campuses.
Mou-Danha said, per Las Vegas Weekly, that adopting a smoke-free ban on campus makes schools eligible for smoking cessation support provided by the Southern Nevada Health District and that "smoking quickly becomes an addictive behavior, and younger people are especially susceptible to the practice."
NSU plans to focus on education rather than punishment, providing first-time offenders with help to quit. Consequences will occur only after multiple offenses. Much of the $20,000 grant provided to the university by the district will go to creating new signage, training staff, and developing materials to educate students about the ban.
Banning smoking completely on campus is a positive step for human health and the environment.
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