This is a response to Michael Kegley’s “Prohibition hardly stops campus smoking problem” letter which called for action regarding the Tobacco Free Medical Campus.  I think a point of clarification is in order.  Prohibiting smokers is not the goal of the Tobacco-Free Initiative.  The goal is to promote a healthier environment at UK HealthCare and, as of Nov. 19, UK’s Campus.

Tobacco users have many resources available to them to help them get through the day without using tobacco products if they so choose, or to help them quit smoking, which is the best decision a tobacco user can make for their health in their lifetime. If people choose to use tobacco products during their workday, the policy clearly states where these products may be used.

Tobacco use is harmful to both the individuals that use these products and, in the case of tobacco smoke, to the health of those exposed who do not.  The science is very clear on this. Nationally, 70 percent of smokers want to quit.  In a recent survey at UK, nearly 70 percent of those responding said they plan to quit or cut down on their tobacco use when the campus is tobacco-free. Living and working in tobacco-free environments makes this easier for them.

Change comes slowly sometimes, but clearly a culture of acceptance of tobacco use promoted by the tobacco industry and marketed to youth must be changed. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to promote a culture which is accepting of avoiding tobacco use and exposure. With some of the worst tobacco-use rates in the nation, 22 Kentuckians die each day from tobacco-related illness and 107,000 Kentucky children under age 18 today will eventually die a tobacco-related death. Our social conscience must lead us on a course to a healthier UK and a healthier Kentucky.

Audrey Darville, Ph.D., candidate,

UK College of Nursing