UC Unveils Systemwide Policy To Ban Smoking, Other Tobacco Products
The University of California will ban smoking and other tobacco products on its 10 campuses over the next two years, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
UC President Mark Yudof announced the new policy to chancellors earlier this week (Krupnick, San Jose Mercury News, 1/12).
Details of the Ban
Yudof said that 586 university campuses in the U.S. have banned smoking and that the UC system should do the same. He said the policy also will ban smokeless tobacco products and unregulated nicotine products (Rojas, "L. A. Now," Los Angeles Times, 1/12).Â
The new policy will:
- Ban people from smoking anywhere on UC's campuses;
- Prohibit the designation of any smoking areas (Allday, San Francisco Chronicle, 1/13); and
- Prohibit tobacco sales and advertising in all facilities rented or owned by UC.
The ban will be implemented in stages so that smokers can try to quit gradually (San Jose Mercury News, 1/12).
UC officials said the policy is aimed at preventing non-smokers from being exposed to secondhand smoke and preventing young people from starting to smoke.
The exact date that the policy takes effect and the means of enforcing the policy are unknown (San Francisco Chronicle, 1/13).
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