Letter: Smokers' rude behavior shows need for regulation

Editor,

Thursday's Daily Lobo article on the smoke-free forum neglected to address two important subjects. It first failed to provide any of the information on the consequences of secondhand smoke that was presented by the panel of experts in the field, and it also neglected to mention the disrespectful behavior of the students who attempted to represent at least some of the smokers on campus.

According to student Brice Sawin, "Not being able to smoke when you're walking to class is just ridiculous." This is evidence of the lack of knowledge that many individuals have about the consequences of secondhand smoke, both medically and economically, on the UNM campus and our

community. These costs totaled about $6 billion in 2004 in the U.S. alone, according to a study released by the American Academy of Actuaries on Oct. 3. As a graduate of UNM, I understand the high cost of tuition, books and housing. Lots of money is spent on maintenance and repairs due to smoking on campus, which could be used to lower tuition and other expenses students incur.

The coalition had two objectives for the forum: to present solid evidence concerning the effects of secondhand smoke on the UNM community and to invite differing viewpoints in a question-and-answer session. Several students arrived about five minutes into the forum smoking excessively and puffing on their cigarettes profusely in order to create a disturbance. They also heckled the presenters and acted in a childish manner with wild antics and comments. I am a former smoker of three to four packs a day, and never did I impose my secondhand smoke on anyone in the outrageous and contemptible way these students did. The blatant behavior of these students just reinforces the need to have a policy concerning smoking on the UNM campus.

Empirical evidence shows that secondhand smoke is harmful not only medically, but also economically in lost wages and benefits from disability. Furthermore, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 438,000 people in the U.S. die prematurely each year as a result of smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke. It is time for UNM policymakers to contemplate public smoking restrictions on our campus.

Reuben Estrada

UNM staff