State Senate Bill 1674 wants to nip smoking in the butt on college campuses.
The measure, which allows for up to a $100 fine, packs as much power as the single bullet in Deputy Barney Fife’s shirt pocket.
The bill seeks to make state college campuses smoke-free. This is a good thing.
The smoking habit is learned early and becomes difficult to break as you get older.
Statistics provided in a state survey of students show a huge jump in new smokers in their freshman year of college.
Anything we can do to discourage smoking among our young people serves our interests now and later.
Billions of dollars are spent yearly on health care issues caused by smoking.
However, this bill needs more teeth. It must provide some form of enforcement and a greater deterrence to smoking on campus.
The fines could be larger.
Maybe academic probation or disciplinary action would make students put the pack away on campus.
And, if they put it away on campus, maybe they will learn to put it away for good.
Isn’t that the ultimate goal?
