Students voice discontent over negative impacts of smoking prohibition on campus
Student groups contest university smoking bans, citing increased second-hand smoke risks and litter
Smoking prohibitions on university campuses have escalated the risks of second-hand smoke exposure, as per student organizations who advocated for designated smoking areas on Thursday.
A study of 30 post-secondary institutions that enforced total smoking bans post-2023 amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Control Act revealed widespread smoking areas on the periphery of campuses, according to National Chung Cheng University student Tsai Ching-hung.
Approximately 70% of schools surveyed have observed a spread of smoking around their campuses' borders, Tsai remarked at a news conference in Taipei.
Per Tsai, an uptick in cigarette waste and diffusion has ensued since schools abolished designating smoking zones and emptied ashtrays from their grounds. The surge in second-hand smoke and litter has affected both students and nearby residents.
However, National Chengchi University, which implemented regulations permitting smoking in designated areas during the same year, reported a decline in second-hand smoke and heightened cleanliness, shared Ho Chieh-en, an alumnus and former student government member at the university.
The legislature amended the law without obtaining the opinions of university students, who would be most impacted by policy adjustments, and consequently passed ineffective regulations, Ho stated.
The government's anti-tobacco campaign has raised antagonism towards smokers and fostered societal discord, contended Cheng Yu-fang, a student at National Taiwan University's Graduate Institute of Building and Planning. Social media posts that deride smokers as "undeserving rights holders" or "human waste to be cleansed" have been noticed, according to Cheng.
Lawmakers should rectify their mistakes in the legislation by allowing student governments to reintroduce smoking zones, advised Cheng. The authorities should alter their anti-tobacco messaging to prevent hostility toward tobacco users, who the policies were intended to protect.
The Taiwan Youth Association for Democracy had initially expressed concerns about the proposed amendment, but the legislature disregarded their viewpoint, as stated by the organization's director, Alice Yang.
Lawmakers failed to consider varying campus geographies and truncated the public opinion solicitation process, Yang noted. The rigidness of the government and its failure to adapt to reality were to blame for the persistence of smoking-related challenges, Yang added.
Better Together for NextGen Taiwan's deputy chairman, Lin Ssu-kai, asserted that the law contradicts the principle of university autonomy and follows a top-down approach to regulations. University students and faculty should be involved in major policy decisions that affect their lives, Lin concluded.
Students in Taiwan are advocating for a reconsideration of smoking bans on university campuses, proposing the establishment of designated smoking areas as a solution to secondary smoke exposure and litter issues. This call comes in response to the perceived negative effects of tobacco-free policies on mental health, health-and-wellness, education-and-self-development, and overall campus wellbeing. Additionally, the students believe that the government should reform its Tobacco Hazards Control Act to prioritize student voices and promote a more inclusive and thoughtful approach to tobacco regulations, fostering a healthier campus environment for all.
