Ban would reach beyond problem of second-hand smoke

Advocates for a tobacco ban across USM campuses have cited a failure of the current smoking policy, saying it does not contain second-hand smoke, a nuisance and potential health hazard to passersby.

But the proposed ban, advocated for by USM’s Tobacco Policy Committee and modeled on one enacted at the University of Maine in January, would restrict all forms of tobacco use on campuses. It would be the rare USM policy aimed at restricting a personal health choice of students, faculty and staff while on university grounds.

Suzanne Roy, USM’s health promotion manager and leader of the committee, has given conflicting answers when asked about the ban’s extension beyond smoke, which includes products like dip and snus — an oral Swedish varient of nasally-inhaled “snuff” —  which produce no comparable second-hand effects.

“We’ve been told that facilities management spends a lot of time cleaning up [dip] spittle in doors, entryways, stairwells, shower rooms,” Roy said. “There are bottles of it left out; it’s all very gross, obviously. That’s how it affects others.”

In a follow-up email inquiring about another smokeless tobacco product, snus, which does not necessitate spitting (users place a small pouch under the lip for an extended period of time), Roy was more explicit about the ban’s aim.

“Snus is a tobacco product that is harmful to the person using it,” Roy wrote.

Roy and others who support campus tobacco bans have generally dismissed the notion that they set a precedent that might be applied to other unhealthy individual choices, such as those concerning food or supplements. Some universities have rolled out so-called “bans” on products containing trans-fats or sugary drinks, but they apply only to sale of those items on school property.

When asked about the unique nature of tobacco rules, USM president Selma Botman stressed that she’s still waiting to hear more from students and faculty before weighing in, but she did note a trend toward similarly comprehensive policies.

“I think this is an effort that is taking place nationally, and so USM and UMaine are following along that pattern,” Botman said. She volunteered another divisive issue of personal freedom that has emerged at some colleges: the ability to carry concealed weapons.

Robert Dana is the Dean of Students at UMaine Orono, now several months into an identical ban to the one recommended for USM. He said he was surprised that smokeless tobacco was included when UMaine took up the issue, but he remains supportive.

“Our intent is to say, ‘hey, at the University of Maine we are not encouraging tobacco use,’” Dana said. “You can sort of consider this a free zone where you shouldn’t do it; you can’t do it, so it will make it easier for you to not do it.”

Dana said that when the ban was being debated in Orono, the conversation rarely strayed from cigarettes. He said he recalled that in rare instances where smokeless tobacco was brought up, there were generally two prominent reactions: resentment that the university was getting involved in a personal decision, and derision of dipping as a “pretty messy habit.”

Around the Portland campus, many have expressed ambivalence toward those parts of the proposal that would impinge on such a small minority of tobacco users. Some echo Roy’s support for a policy that could have positive health implications.

“I’m in favor of it. I think it’s been done succesfully in Orono,” said David Harris, a professor of nursing. “They don’t have quite the second-hand issue, but I’d put them all in the same category. Those are addictive and dangerous as well.”

Others disagree. Junior childhood education major Isaiah Morissette said he feels the move would be overreaching on the part of administrators.

“I personally think if you want to do something to your body, you can go ahead and do it as long as it’s not affecting other people,” Morissette said. “As long as you dispose of it correctly.”

While cigarette smoking remains the most visible and common use of tobacco, it has been on the decline in recent decades where other varieties have seen a rise. American tobacco companies have recently turned to snus for its discreet oral use, and research that indicates it is far less harmful than cigarettes, chew or dip.

That has concerned the FDA and many public health advocates, who fear it may dissuade smokers from quitting nicotine altogether; they are at odds with those who welcome its adoption as a form of harm reduction.