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<p>In a bold move, Luzerne County Community College officials made a cold-turkey declaration that as of the start of classes this week the campus is entirely tobacco-free.</p><p>For users of cigarettes, snuff and other products, it means no more getting a nicotine fix while on LCCC&#8217;s property. Not indoors. Not outdoors (including at its athletic fields). Not in college-owned vehicles.</p><p>Proponents of the new policy, which went into effect Monday, even intend to encourage a smoke-free atmosphere &#8220;to the extent possible, at all college-sponsored events held off-campus,&#8221; according to <a href="https://studentportal.luzerne.edu/forms/Tobacco-Free-Policy.pdf" target="_blank">the regulations</a>. Don&#8217;t be surprised if other local campuses soon follow suit.</p><p>LCCC can claim to be the first of the county&#8217;s institutions of higher education to declare its grounds totally off-limits for tobacco use, but it&#8217;s hardly alone among the nation&#8217;s colleges. As of April, about 1,140 U.S. campuses were considered entirely tobacco-free, according to Americans for Nonsmokers&#8217; Rights, a California-based lobby organization that maintains a website at <a href="http://no-smoke.org/" target="_blank">no-smoke.org</a>.</p><p>&#8220;We expect this number to continue to climb rapidly as a result of the growing social norm supporting smoke-free environments, and support from within the academic community for such policies for campus health and well-being,&#8221; the website states.</p><p>LCCC&#8217;s students, staffers and campus visitors alike are subject to the new rules, which replace a policy of permitting smokers to light up at designated outdoor areas, such as the gazebos that formerly dotted the Nanticoke campus. A student who repeatedly violates the policy potentially will face escalating fines, of $10 to $50, followed by possible suspension or expulsion.</p><p>Disgruntled smokers might lodge complaints this semester, even organize a formal pushback. If so, we urge LCCC&#8217;s administrators to stick to their health-conscious strategy.</p><p>&#8220;Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable illness and death across the nation,&#8221; according to information distributed by Geisinger, the regional health care provider that previously banned tobacco use on its premises. <a href="https://www.geisinger.org/for-professionals/vendor-relations/includes/pdf/GHS-Tobacco-Free-Policy-1-20-2015.pdf" target="_blank">Geisinger&#8217;s policy</a> applies to all of its sites, according to its online human resources manual, with the exception of the Marworth addiction-treatment center.</p><p>Similarly, Marywood University in Scranton touts a tobacco-free campus. &#8220;As a leader in the community,&#8221; its <a href="http://www.marywood.edu/policy/detail.html?id=164007&amp;crumbTrail=Smoke%20Free&amp;pageTitle=Policies%20and%20Procedures%20Manual:%20Smoke%20Free" target="_blank">policies and procedures manual</a> states, &#8220;the university takes seriously its responsibility to demonstrate healthy lifestyles.&#8221;</p><p>At Luzerne County Community College, policy makers are not unsympathetic to the hardship that the new anti-tobacco rules might present to certain users. Staffers can seek help with tobacco-cessation efforts through the college&#8217;s Human Resources Office; students, meanwhile, are encouraged to contact the Student Life and Athletics Office.</p><p>Support for people quitting the smoking habit also can be found online at <a href="https://smokefree.gov/" target="_blank">smokefree.gov</a>.</p><style>
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Our Opinion: Luzerne County Community College dares to stamp out tobacco use; other campuses may follow