Why should college campuses be tobacco-free?

Benefits of a 100% Tobacco-free Policy: All college students, staff and visitors deserve safe, clean air. Tobacco-free campuses help create a tobacco-free social norm that keeps students from becoming tobacco users. Tobacco-free policies also create an environment that makes it easier to quit smoking or vaping, and to stay quit. See peer-reviewed research on how it works.

Scientific evidence on the harmfulness of secondhand commercial tobacco smoke is both overwhelming and beyond doubt. There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. E-cigarettes are the tobacco product that is most often used among youth and young adults in North Carolina. The e-cigarette aerosol that users breathe from the device and exhale can contain harmful and potentially harmful substances, including nicotine, ultrafine particles, and flavorings such as diacetyl, a flavoring that causes severe lung disease.

Data also show that smoking increases the risk of severe illness from COVID-19. In addition, many people smoke, vape and use other tobacco products in close social settings, without a mask and sometimes sharing cigarettes or vape devices. There has never been a better time to go 100% tobacco-free.