Smoking Police at Widener University School of Law

Professors at Widener University School of Law will be taking on new role, smoking police, at the start of the new academic year.

They will not undergo extensive training and they will not be wearing uniforms, but they will be carrying cards that give extensive details on the new smoking ban that will be implemented. The ban prohibits any kind of tobacco product or its use on campus, both indoors and outdoors. The school's dean Linda L. Ammons says that if this kind of intervention is not enough to stop students from smoking then they could face a fine.

Widener is not the first law school to toughen up on smoking — bans like this are becoming a growing trend. Smoking is mainly banned indoors and at the perimeter of buildings, but many law schools are working toward having campus-wide bans. In the United States, nearly 176 colleges and universities are entirely smoke-free, according to the American Lung Association.

The director of communications at the University of Arkansas (where smoking has also been banned) Andy Albertson, says that the law has had a positive impact, and that it is very rare to see smoking anymore. He added that there has been very little need for enforcement of the ban.

But, just because you do not see it does not mean it is not happening. University students are adults, they should be given freedom to make their own choices, and they should not be treated like criminals for a bad habit.

[Via: law.com]

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