Editor,
First I would like to say that I have heard many good reasons to ban smoking on campus, but I believe they were framed by poor arguments, so I feel that I should make an attempt of my own.
I understand the risks of smoking, as I am a slave to it. I would, however, be surprised if someone has been diagnosed with cancer due to walking by a group of smokers outside a building. Let's get realistic about that.
And I agree with the comments about putting cigarette butts into the proper receptacles.
With that said, I would like to ask a question to those who complain about the smoke: Do you drive a car? If your answer is yes, then would you rather be in a closed garage with a smoker for a half-hour or a running vehicle? I'm guessing the smoker wins.
So if someone would like to complain about the air pollution from my cigarette, I only ask that they think about the pollution they are contributing. I ask the same about their power usage. For an extra $1.83, I get all of my power each month from PNM's Blue Skies program that generates its energy from wind power. Do you?
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I understand that it's an inconvenience to have to walk through a crowd of smokers, but we've all stood behind that lady with too much perfume on. It's kind of the same type of inconvenience, isn't it? You've got smoke-free restaurants and businesses, which were the danger zones for second-hand smoke, so please let me have my smoke outside in peace.
I will try to make it less of a hassle for you, and all I ask in return is for you to let me die in peace.
Fred Hardy
UNM student
