IOWA CITY — On the first day of classes last August, the University of Iowa implemented a tobacco-free campus policy that prohibited all tobacco products.
The policy amended the universities’ existing smoke-free policy that started in 2008 under the state’s Smoke-Free Air Act, which prohibited cigarette and cigar smoking on campus. This new policy started Aug. 24 and extended the ban to electronic cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, snuff and water pipes, also known as hookahs.
Then-President Sally Mason introduced the ban in April in an email to students, faculty and staff, stating the aim was to “support a healthy campus culture and promote the health and well-being of all campus community members.”
Under the policy, UI police can issue smoking citations if violators don’t comply with requests to stop or continue to violate the rules after being warned. According to Iowa law, fines are $50.
The policy ban includes no tobacco use on university-owned buildings, leased vehicles, and all UI grounds — including athletic complexes, recreational facilities, parking lots and parking ramps.
According to the most recent annual report released by the UI Department of Public Safety, police responded to 688 smoking calls in 2014, made 513 contacts and wrote 56 tickets. In 2012, UI police responded to fewer calls at 526 and made fewer contacts at 484, but issued 463 citations.
What's Happened Since
Between Aug. 24 and Dec. 31, there were 30 recorded “smoking in prohibited area” violations, according the 2015 UI police activity log. But since Jan. 1, the UI Police Department said there have been 43 tobacco-related calls, but there have been no citations issued. UI Police Chief Lucy Wiederholt explained that officers have either given verbal warnings, or the violators were gone by the time authorities arrived.
The decrease in tobacco instances comes as a surprise to a downtown Iowa City smoke shop near campus.
“I’ve been here for a while, and I feel we have been selling tobacco to more students than we were when the new policy started,” said Merry Marturello an employee at the Den, which sells e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco and hookahs.
Marturello has worked at the Den for the past two years, and has seen a boost in one particular “banned” product.
“With students, our most popular tobacco product is definitely chew,” she said, pointing to a can of Grizzly Wintergreen chewing tobacco pouches. “This has gone up. There are so many college-age guys that chew.”
With no citations being written up this semester, Wiederholt said there are some struggles.
“It is definitely difficult to enforce since chewing tobacco doesn’t give off any smoke,” she said, and mentioned there hasn’t been a call related specifically to chewing tobacco use on campus. “But our officers are aware of that. And they are familiar with how people act when they are trying to conceal smoking or chewing where they shouldn’t.
“People are allowed to smoke on city streets and sidewalks owned by Iowa City, like Madison and Clinton that cut through campus,” she added. “It is just places that are considered university grounds.
The policy amended the universities’ existing smoke-free policy that started in 2008 under the state’s Smoke-Free Air Act, which prohibited cigarette and cigar smoking on campus. This new policy started Aug. 24 and extended the ban to electronic cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, snuff and water pipes, also known as hookahs.
Then-President Sally Mason introduced the ban in April in an email to students, faculty and staff, stating the aim was to “support a healthy campus culture and promote the health and well-being of all campus community members.”
Under the policy, UI police can issue smoking citations if violators don’t comply with requests to stop or continue to violate the rules after being warned. According to Iowa law, fines are $50.
The policy ban includes no tobacco use on university-owned buildings, leased vehicles, and all UI grounds — including athletic complexes, recreational facilities, parking lots and parking ramps.
According to the most recent annual report released by the UI Department of Public Safety, police responded to 688 smoking calls in 2014, made 513 contacts and wrote 56 tickets. In 2012, UI police responded to fewer calls at 526 and made fewer contacts at 484, but issued 463 citations.
What's Happened Since
Between Aug. 24 and Dec. 31, there were 30 recorded “smoking in prohibited area” violations, according the 2015 UI police activity log. But since Jan. 1, the UI Police Department said there have been 43 tobacco-related calls, but there have been no citations issued. UI Police Chief Lucy Wiederholt explained that officers have either given verbal warnings, or the violators were gone by the time authorities arrived.
The decrease in tobacco instances comes as a surprise to a downtown Iowa City smoke shop near campus.
“I’ve been here for a while, and I feel we have been selling tobacco to more students than we were when the new policy started,” said Merry Marturello an employee at the Den, which sells e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco and hookahs.
Marturello has worked at the Den for the past two years, and has seen a boost in one particular “banned” product.
“With students, our most popular tobacco product is definitely chew,” she said, pointing to a can of Grizzly Wintergreen chewing tobacco pouches. “This has gone up. There are so many college-age guys that chew.”
With no citations being written up this semester, Wiederholt said there are some struggles.
“It is definitely difficult to enforce since chewing tobacco doesn’t give off any smoke,” she said, and mentioned there hasn’t been a call related specifically to chewing tobacco use on campus. “But our officers are aware of that. And they are familiar with how people act when they are trying to conceal smoking or chewing where they shouldn’t.
“People are allowed to smoke on city streets and sidewalks owned by Iowa City, like Madison and Clinton that cut through campus,” she added. “It is just places that are considered university grounds.
Resource: http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/education/higher-education/newstrack-university-of-iowa-tobacco-ban-sees-no-citations-20160328
No comments:
Post a Comment