Tobacco-free initiative needs compromise

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Letter to Editor by Emily Weber

UK’s smoking ban hit campus Thursday. As a non-smoker, this will not affect me personally, but the lives of many will be completely reshaped.

To be realistic, UK will never be entirely smoke-free.

When half of the enforcers themselves smoke, the chances are they will be gung-ho on the idea for a few weeks, and eventually will find themselves hiding behind the trees taking a drag alongside the others.

So what can we do as a university to compromise between the two groups?

I think we should grab hold of the policy Bluegrass Community and Technical College adopted in August.

With designated smoking areas, smokers will not have to venture off campus to smoke, be late for classes because of their need for a cigarette or drop their cigarette butts in local neighborhoods, but will be forced to group together in a smaller, more controlled area.

In a perfect world, the smoking ban at UK would rid the campus of addiction, pollution and allergies, but maybe the most realistic first step would be a compromise.

Emily Weber
journalism freshman