The U.S. universities have hardened their stance against allowing smoking and drinking in college premises. George Washington and American Universities have now joined the list of colleges that have introduced a complete ban on smoking in campuses.
The George Washington and American Universities have pledged that they will turn their campuses smoke-free as early as 2013.
Earlier this month, Steven Knapp, president of the George Washington University, vowed to make the campuses in the District and Virginia smoke-free by the fall of 2013 at the American Cancer Society's 37th annual Great American Smokeout.
"The George Washington University is committed to ensuring the public health of its community with prominent schools of medicine, public health and nursing, and with a student body that is passionate about these issues, we are taking steps now to make our campuses smoke-free by next year," said Knapp, in a statement.
As part of its effort to curb smoking activities on the campus, the George Washington University is also running "Student Cessation Programs," in order to help the students quit the habit.
The program is intended to help the students realize the ill-effects of smoking and provide ways to kick the habit, including setting a realistic quit date, preparing to quit, information on Nicotine Replacement Therapy and more.
George Washington offers several university-paid, tobacco cessation programs to students, faculty, staff and family members. On Oct. 1, the university began offering faculty and staff telephonic coaching and up to eight weeks of over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapy at no cost.
According to the Center for Disease Control, an estimated 443,000 deaths are caused by adverse health effects from cigarette smoking or nearly one in five deaths, each year in the U.S.
Eighty percent of smokers start smoking by age 18 and nearly 100 percent begin smoking by age 26. In September 2012, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced its 'Tobacco-Free College Campus Initiative' to promote and support the adoption and implementation of tobacco-free policies at universities, colleges and other institutions of higher learning across the country.
Some universities have already announced the decision of banning smoking in campus, while many already have the restriction in place. In 2010, Towson University clamped the ban on burning tobacco in campus and University of Maryland has declared a go smoke-free in 2013. Now, George Washington and American universities have joined the anti-smoking club.
"GW going smoke-free is important because a smoke-free environment provides clean air for everyone in our community and significantly decreases poor health outcomes related to smoking and second-hand smoke exposure," said Julien Guttman, student and member of Colonials for Clean Air.
