Health regulations can save lives and generally make the United States a better place to live. Compare the beef and pork industries of the early 20th century to their present counterparts.
When Upton Sinclair wrote "The Jungle," germ theory was still in its infancy, and it was commonplace for meat packers to send diseased meat through to the public. Packing plants were so bad men and women would frequently die at work from exposure to all kinds of filth in factories that were little more than giant sewers.
Thankfully, we've come a long way since the days of the meat packing barons. There are all manner of health and safety regulations that, for the most part, keep us from dying off by the hundreds of thousands from completely preventable diseases.
But what happens when these regulations go too far?
Of course, we're talking about smoking bans. If you've read our editorials during the past year, you know we believe smoking bans to be an unnecessary show of authority that infringe upon the personal freedom of a minority.
Smoking is not a right, but it's also not a revocable privilege. We believe if you are a consenting adult, then you should be able to smoke, drink, party, etc. as long as you don't inflict harm on another. \0x2028
Now, you probably think secondhand smoke is inflicting harm on others, and we believe that too. But we think making a compromise, such as the "25-foot rule," is a lot more effective and democratic than prohibition.
None of that seems to matter though. The opinions of smokers are rarely, if ever, considered.
Auburn will officially become a smoke-free campus Aug. 21, and we can't help but shake our heads. The University began a gradual push to this prohibition last year, and the laughable regulations it's had up to this point have been ineffective.
We want to believe the smoking prohibition will be ineffective as well. It has all the ingredients for an underwhelming influence on campus life.
"We are going to take an educational approach to enforcement because education will be key to implementing this process. We're also going to ask people for voluntary compliance," said Eric Smith, director of health promotion and wellness services.
Perhaps, taking an educational approach will foster an atmosphere of comprise and smoking will never truly be eliminated from campus, which is fine with us. Unfortunately, the delivery of said education seems flawed.\0x2028Along with cessation programs and signs, non-smokers will be gently encouraged to do the nagging.
"If you as a member of the Auburn Family see someone smoking, we are going to ask that you maybe say something to them," Smith said. "If you don't feel comfortable, that's fine. I definitely don't want to make people uncomfortable, but we are going to ask that everyone on campus abide by this policy."
Maybe that will work. It probably won't.
But what about game day? What about the fans who like to smoke on the ramp and socialize?
"If you see a visitor smoking, it could be as simple as saying, 'Hey, we're a smoke-free campus now.' Hopefully the communication and signage will take care of that need," said Smith.
Again, we are all about compromise. Cooperation seems to be a dying value in American culture. However, smoking prohibition, enforced by passive-aggressive comments and a multitude of signs doesn't come anywhere close to teamwork.
If you don't feel like quitting smoking, then don't. If you do, then go for it. It's that simple. Don't let an authoritarian form of control dictate how you live.
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