Smoker speaks out about her fight with the cloud

Why is it that smokers feel the need to crowd around the entrances of every building on campus? I have noticed that Gooch Hall and Humanities are the worst.

A law was passed this summer, Chapter 876 Bill No. 3368 Section 4-4-121. Smoking shall be prohibited in all buildings that are owned or operated by the State of Tennessee ... It is the intent of the General Assembly that all buildings ... shall be smoke-free. Smokers are not allowed within 20 feet of the entrance of a building. But it happens every day. I hold the smokers and the office of Campus Safety and Security responsible for this. Why is it that if a student parks in a staff designated area that they get a ticket, but someone breaking a state law receives no punishment?

It’s not that I don’t have sympathy for smokers; I used to be one. But even before I quit I hated walking out of class into a cloud of smoke. It’s even worse as a former smoker. For those of you who have quit you know what I mean, the more you are around it the harder it is to stay “quit.” Most of us who do quit do it for health reasons, either for ourselves or our loved ones.

If a smoker doesn’t mind ruining their lungs and killing their brain cells or, how about reeking of smoke, I do.

It’s not fair to those of us who don’t smoke to have to ingest someone else’s nasty habit. Smokers gripe about their rights; well, what about the rest of us?

How many test results are going to have to be published about second-hand smoke being deadly before smokers respect the rest of us?

I challenge all of you to speak out about this, and you smokers to be considerate enough to step away from the door before you light up. I also expect Campus Safety and Security to enforce this law.

Amanda Young Communications