Students, police cope with MSU tobacco ban

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Aug. 15 marks the day that Michigan State University’s campus went tobacco free.

That means the roads, the buildings, dorms — even Michigan State’s extension campuses — all have a tobacco ban.

People who use tobacco on campus, could be subject to a $150 ticket. But MSU Police Capt. Doug Monette says he knows his officers will use discretion when enforcing the ban, and taking an educational approach.

“This is going to be a culture change here at Michigan State University, because this is an ordinance that we’ve never had before,” Monette said.

Student-smoker Wes Walters says he thinks there was a better way to go about the ban.

“I understand where the university is coming from,” Walters said. “I think at it’s core it’s an OK idea, I just don’t think they did it in the right way.”

Wes says he wishes that instead of a total ban the university would have chosen specific “smoking areas,” which he feels would be easier to monitor.

While Wes says this affects his education and concentration in the classroom, freshman Olivia Baratta says the ban might cause a positive chain reaction.

“I think smoking cigarettes if very not good, and I think any effort to reduce that, and to reduce the people that have to be by it, and like second hand smoke and stuff like that is really really awesome,” she said.

 

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