Mesa Legend - Opinions


Volume 42, Issue 10. Today is .

February 15 , 2005

Trying to breathe stinks

Heather Cutler
News Associate

Taking a whiff of fresh air on campus is near impossible, thanks to all the smokers spreading smoke into the lungs of all students within their five-foot radius.
It is common to see students smoking outside designated smoking areas.
These spots allow smokers to smoke without making non-smokers gag.
So why aren’t students who choose to light up making the assumption that smoking may be offensive to not only one person, but many?
Doesn’t it register with those smokers that there are people on campus who are allergic to smoke and could suffer serious effects from the smell of a lit cigarette in the air? Asthma patients, especially, must be cautious because the stench of smoke can trigger an attack, requiring immediate medical attention.
If someone is not smoking in a designated area, campus safety officers are instructed to ask them to move to one.
But with a high ratio of smokers to officers, the officers cannot be expected to deal with this problem and handle their other responsibilities simultaneously.
Therefore, I think it’s up to the smokers to have self-restraint and show some respect for their peers.
Not only is the smoking irritating to non-smokers, but so is the sight of cigarette butts all over campus.
In every designated smoking area there are ash-trays for disposal. Yet many students still litter, disposing the butts on the ground. This makes the campus look trashy and is an eyesore.
MCC spends enough money hiring people to take care of grounds, so why should the school waste more money hiring people to take care of a problem that could very easily be solved?
It comes down to an individual’s right to smoke (or not).
Those students who wish to smoke can do so. America is based on personal rights and the freedom to utilize those rights.
Each person has the choice to give themselves lung cancer if they wish to do so; however, there are many of us who do not wish to inhale the second-hand smoke which is just as deadly and cancer-forming as if we smoked.
So don’t force health hazards upon those of us who neither want nor need them.