Community voice
by Vaishnavi Vaidya
As a public health professional, I feel it is in the best interest of Drexel’s campus community to advocate for a more effective and health-focused tobacco-free policy on our campus. Every year more than 500,000 people die from smoking related causes of death, making it the number one cause of preventable death in the United States. Tobacco-use puts us at a greater risk for chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease and pulmonary disease. Currently, Drexel’s policy on tobacco prohibits the sale of tobacco products on campus and restricts smoking to 20 feet from any entrances, exits and windows of University buildings. A fully tobacco-free policy would prohibit the use of any tobacco products anywhere within the boundaries of the university. This would protect not only those who choose to smoke but those indirectly affected by tobacco-use by ensuring us our right to breathe. Although the reasons for going smoke-free are numerous, I feel that there are a few key motivators relevant to our community:
Harmful effects of tobacco use can be lessened as more and more people decide to go tobacco-free. More than 1,100 college campuses in the United States are already fully tobacco-free, and we would love to see Drexel on this list. Our initiative is supported by the Dornsife School of Public Health, and Public Health in Action hopes more members of our community will join us in this effort. In order to discuss this policy and its implications, we are hosting a town hall meeting with multiple campus stakeholders Tuesday February 16th at 5pm in Nesbitt Hall Room 320 (You can RSVP here). Those who can’t make the town hall can feel free to share their thoughts through this survey. Please join us in advocating for a tobacco-free college campus. Stand up for your right to learn and work in a healthier community. |
Who Can Contribute?Community Voice authorship is shared by diverse members of the Public Health and Philadelphia communities. Archives
March 2017
Categories |