NMSU moves to be tobacco-free throughout system

The New Mexico State University system is in talks to become a tobacco-free university by July 2014. About 71 percent of main campus students, faculty and staff support the move, according to a 1,000-person email survey by the Campus Health Center. "We had such an overwhelming response to the idea that we are taking steps" to implement such a policy, center Executive Director Lori McKee said. The February survey and initial conversations came a month before the New Mexico Senate passed a memorial requesting all public post-secondary educational institutions in the state adopt a tobacco-free campus policy by July 1, 2014. If schools don't adopt such a policy, the memorial requests they explain why to two legislative committees. After the selection of the next president, NMSU will likely create a taskforce to decide whether the system will "go all the way" and be tobacco-free, prohibiting everything from cigarettes to dip, or just smoke-free, McKee said. The taskforce will likely advocate for the most stringent policy, a tobacco-free one, she said. "We're trying to add to the quality of life for everyone, not just students, faculty and staff, but everyone that comes on our campus," she said. NMSU would join more than 300 colleges and universities across the country that is tobacco-free. Half of NMSU's peer institutions have a smoke-free policy, McKee said. The University of New Mexico became largely tobacco-free in 2009 with 13 designated smoking areas on campus. "It's a major movement ... to move our institutions to a healthier environment," McKee said. NMSU currently prohibits smoking indoors; within 25 feet of entrances, exits, enclosed walkways and ventilation systems; in partially or fully enclosed walkways; and during some outdoor events. But secondhand smoke is hazardous to anyone nearby, McKee said, and implementing smoke- and tobacco-free policies will help decrease incidents of tobacco-related cancer. Tobacco use costs New Mexico $976 million in medical bills and lost productivity each year, according to the state Health Department. About 24 percent of New Mexico high school students and 17.9 percent of adults smoked at least one cigarette in the last month, according to a 2009 Health Department report. Enforcement of smoke- or tobacco-free policies will likely be difficult, McKee said, relying more on social norms than legal support. "Unless it's a law, you can't really cite someone for smoking," she said. UNM faces similar challenges, said Dr. Beverly Kloeppel, UNM's director of student health and counseling. The university planned to phase out the designated smoking areas within five years but is currently in a "holding pattern" as it looks at how to enforce a tobacco-free policy, Kloeppel said. "I do think we have much less smoking on campus, but there are problems with how it gets policed and enforced," she said. UNM's policy says it empowers the campus community to respectfully notify others of the rules and encourage compliance. Repeated or serious violations by students can be referred to the dean of students, while violations by employees can be referred to deans and department heads. Disciplinary action can ensue, though it is not described. UNM's tobacco-free move was a top-down initiative lead by former president David Schmidly, Kloeppel said. NMSU will similarly need the new president's support, McKee said, but the Senate memorial ensures the next leader won't squash the initiative.