I was on campus trying to think of what I should discuss in my column, but I couldn’t find anywhere to sit without inhaling somebody’s smoke. I walked around furiously until I could finally find a spot to enjoy the beautiful weather without that disgusting stench. As somebody who takes pride in her body, I don’t feel like I should be subjected to some people’s poor choices.
People constantly get lectured on how awful smoking is, and obviously most people in our age demographic don’t heed the information. However, I can’t help but reiterate how bad smoking is for the body. Smoking-related illnesses kill one in 10 adults, and if this rate continues, by 2030 this statistic will increase to one in six people. Every eight seconds, some- body dies from their tobacco habit. Out of long-term smokers, half of them will die from their addiction, and each cigarette you smoke steals an average of five minutes from your life.
Because people will continue to smoke despite how repulsive it is, Loyola needs to more strongly enforce the regulations on smoking. There are locations on campus where those who smoke can go, and there are locations where people who make healthy choices can avoid secondhand smoke.
If those of you who smoke re- taliate by stating that it’s a personal choice and non-smokers shouldn’t have an opinion, then look at the secondhand smoking statistics. The cigarette you’re probably puff- ing on while reading this contains 11 chemical compounds known to cause cancer, and over 4,000 can- cer-causing or toxic chemicals have been found in the smoke you’re blowing on other people. 126 mil- lion Americans are exposed to ciga– rette smoke from cigarettes they’re not even smoking and, even more disturbing, 22 million children are exposed to dangerous, toxic secondhand smoke. Further, 53,800 people die every year from secondhand smoking-related deaths.
It would be best if people realized that smoking on a cancer stick is a gross choice and would just give it up. But since this column probably won’t do anything to eradIcate the smoking epidemic from Loyola’s campus, the university can at least do more to push students to smoke in the designated areas and punish students caught toss- ing their cigarettes stubs (trash) on the grass and sidewalk. Better yet, to deal with your stress, why don’t smokers try getting on a treadmill or going for a run in the beautiful park right across from our campus?
Caitlin Spieker is a sociology senior and personal trainer who is working on a certification from the American College of Sports Medicine. She can be reached at [email protected]
