Aaron Pabon/Staff Writer
I occasionally smoke.
I am aware of the harm it can do to my body and the harm it can do to others around me.
I’m sure anyone can understand the stress that a university student goes through with classes, tests, tuition, and life. I have gone through these stresses as well, and what I do to relieve the stress is smoke.
When I first heard of the smoking ban at FIU, my first reaction was to find a substitute for the habit, or find a way to suppress it.
I decided to use a cigarette, an electronic one to be precise.
An e-cigarette is a electrical vaporiser, that simulates the effect of smoking by heating nicotine into a water vapor to be inhaled. After inhalation, water vapor is exhaled.
It helped curb the smoking to a point where I was using it less than a real cigarette. I immediately noticed that I could breath a lot better.
While using the e-cigarette, I still conform to smoking etiquette – smoke out of site, away from others, etc.
While in a friend’s car, we were seen using them by FIU Security.
Security told us to “Put out that cigarette. FIU has a no smoking policy.”
Even containing water vapor in a car is an issue for the school.
Despite the fact the only thing emitted is harmless water vapor, I was told I could not use it as FIU is “Smoke Free”.
I looked at FIU’s policies, and saw that the use of the e-cigarette is not allowed.
While I understand and implore the school for making us healthy, but they should also make their agenda to ban other harmful items on campus.
We sell items made with trans fats, high-fructose corn syrup, and countless of energy drink products. Many of these can be harmful.
I have a better chance of getting hit by a car or a golf cart on this campus and getting seriously hurt than contracting diseases due to secondhand smoke effects.
I can understand banning smoking; but I also understand it is difficult to quit. Some students need a hit or two of nicotine when they are stuck on the campus for many hours studying and working on assignments, but banning the use of a product that and that it may help others quit is not helping.
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