Editor,
I would like to offer a correction to Wednesday's article concerning the tobacco motion passed by the Staff Council. I am a staff councilor, and I voted against this motion, so it is not accurate to say it was passed unanimously.
Since the surgeon general has advised there is no safe level of secondhand smoke, I would agree it is in the interest of staff, faculty and students to have a smoke-free campus. However, I could not support the overreaching provisions of this motion, which included a ban on other tobacco products.
While a resolution that seeks to prevent harm to staff from other people's actions is entirely reasonable, a provision that attempts to control a legal activity that does not impact the health of other staff is draconian and inappropriate in an academic setting.
While many may find the act of chewing tobacco obnoxious, it is not appropriate for the majority to attempt to remove rights from the minority, even if that action would reduce health risks to the individual. If this were the case, we would also want to close many of the restaurant franchises in the SUB to protect people from obesity and other related diseases.
If the concern is simple littering, as stated in this article, then that can be addressed by ticketing those individuals who spit or drop cigarette butts in public areas. We do not need to impose a blanket ban on this personal liberty and choice.
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Danny Lee
UNM staff
