Our editorial board believes in freedom of all sorts. However, we believe in these freedoms so long as they do not infringe upon the freedoms of other people. For this reason, we applaud the recent smoking ban in the city of New Orleans.

On Jan. 22, the New Orleans City Council unanimously voted to ban smoking and vaping in certain places throughout the city. Our editorial board thanks the council for their commitment to the health and well-being of the city of New Orleans as a whole.

This ban blocks smoking and vaping in bars, restaurants, casinos, hotels, motels, video and poker halls, private clubs, nursing homes, stadiums, theaters, outdoor arenas, schools, childcare facilities and correctional facilities. In essence, this ban blocks smoking in public areas, where your decision to smoke may, to put it bluntly, infringe on someone else’s freedom to live.

The Center for Disease Control claims that “smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States” and is responsible for nearly one in five deaths annually. To put this in perspective, they note that smoking alone is responsible for more deaths per year than HIV, illegal drug and substance abuse, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries and firearm related incidents combined.

We are not strangers to these consequences. Most of us have family members, friends and other loved ones who have suffered as a result of this dangerous habit.

On the other hand, the risks associated with vaping have not yet been clarified due to its relatively recent introduction to the market of smoking alternatives. Although the devices do not contain carcinogens like arsenic and vinyl chloride and they do not produce secondhand smoke of any kind, they are seen as a facilitator for an eventual or continued use of tobacco or cigarettes.

It is important to clarify that this ban does not extend to patios, balconies, courtyards, public areas, parks, public events, sidewalks, streets, private homes, outdoor shopping malls, parking lots and garages, outdoor common areas, tobacco businesses, hookah bars, cigar bars and vape shops.

In effect, this ban only prohibits smoking and vaping in confined places where nonsmokers seek to safely coexist. To surmise, this ban only effects smokers willing to smoke and vape in settings where their actions directly contribute negatively to nonsmokers’ health.

Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights claims that “24.8 percent of full-time college students aged 18-22 were current smokers in 2010.” It appears that quite a few Loyola students smoke as well from the ever-burgeoning cloud of smoke coming from the affectionately dubbed “Smoker’s Alley” outside of the Monroe Library.

Before the risks associated with tobacco use were well known and understood, smoking was encouraged during long study nights in the Monroe Library. The Maroon’s office in years past even boasted a room where editors could smoke during long press nights, as a way to escape the hustle and bustle of a hectic newsroom.

Even now, many Loyola students still smoke because it is an effective way to release stress and tension and because of its addictive nature. Many students start because the habit is seen as glamorous and cool.

But death isn’t cool and killing your friends isn’t either.

Our editorial board asks that you respect this ban and abide by it for the sake of both your health and the health of others. This citywide smoking ban is a step closer towards a safer and healthier New Orleans for all.