Smoking is a lifestyle choice. It's a lifestyle choice that certain people find distasteful, but it's also completely legal choice for adults. However you look at it, banning cigarette smoking on OWU's campus takes away a right from its students that is allowed for the rest of the U.S. population.
So why would something that's legal in the rest of the country be banned on OWU's campus?
College is supposed to be a place where students learn how to be adults. And really, isn't the essence of being an adult the ability to make decisions for yourself? For a lot of people, college is where they decide on the habits and beliefs that will make them who they are. Drinker or non-drinker? Conservative or liberal? Studious or social? Smoker or non-smoker? Maybe some of these choices are healthier or more popular than others, but the point is that they're choices the student learns to make for themselves--without OWU hovering over their shoulder telling them what they should or shouldn't do.
Whether or not the school (or even the majority of the students) believe that smoking is a good choice is besides the point--it's an individual choice. Teach students how to make good decisions about their health, by all means, but don't take away their right to a legal habit just because you disapprove of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment