University of Louisiana prepares smoke- and tobacco-free policy

[SlappyCajun]

What lafayette needs to do is ban smoking in bars permanently. It's so much nicer going out in Houston to a bar that doesn't have a wall of smoke hit you in the face as you're walking in.

I agree with a ban on smoking at UL. I disagree on banning smoke in all bars. I believe each bar should be able to choose their smoking policy.

[cajunhawk]

What lafayette needs to do is ban smoking in bars permanently. It's so much nicer going out in Houston to a bar that doesn't have a wall of smoke hit you in the face as you're walking in.

If I had my own downtrodden indian tribe I would create a smokeless casino...you would lose out on the slot machine jockeys...but you would gain a nicer clientele who would come back again and again.

[Frenchie35]

Anywhere it doesn't harm others.

Maybe you should have said, "Anywhere it doesn't BOTHER others".....That is what they are trying to do, not HARM others.........

[cajunhawk]

Maybe you should have said, "Anywhere it doesn't BOTHER others".....That is what they are trying to do, not HARM others.........

Asthmatics would disagree...

[Big Buds]

Don't fret people. The legalization of marijuana is right around the corner !!!!!!!

If we are fortunate enough, it will happen in our lifetime!

[Big Buds]

The ghost of William Randolph Hearst...is still ____ed because of his timber concerns.

This is funny! All of Henry J. Anslinger's work down the drain!

[cajun4life]

I agree with a ban on smoking at UL. I disagree on banning smoke in all bars. I believe each bar should be able to choose their smoking policy.

I wish I had the statistics, but I lived in Washington when they banned smoking in all public places. The bars saw an increase of close to 20% in their quarterly earning due to the people who avoided bars due to smoke. It was awesome!

[CajunRebel]

I don't agree with banning anything...most bans are counter productive and illicit the wrong impulse in people. It makes it taboo and much more desirable. See prohibition.

What is going on here is the banning of smoking and dipping on the campus...and the campus alone. You are still free to do as you please...once you leave the campus. The University can grind any ax they want here...it is their property. If they want to outlaw gingers...so be it. Just so happens tobacco is still a hot button topic. Would you walk into a church and light up? Would you walk into a building filled to the brim with flammable gasses and light up? Would you walk into a friends house who just lost a loved one to lung cancer...and light up? It's not about freedom...it's about decorum and common sense. God forbid they ask you to smoke and dip on your own time.

What terrible examples you're using. We're not talking about a guy lighting up in a classroom. That's already illegal and deservedly so. We're talking about making it illegal for a guy sitting on a bench in the quad to light up a cigarette even though no one could possibly be bothered by it.

Banning smoking indoors is done to protect others.
Banning smoking outdoors is done to modify behavior.

That's a huge difference. I'm okay with the government using it's authority to protect others. I'm not okay with the government using it's power in an attempt to change the way people behave. That's not okay. It's not okay for a "committee" to say "I don't like the way you behave, so I'm going to pass a law/policy that forces you to behave the way I think you should behave." If that's not a blatant form of tyranny I don't know what is.

But hell, I'm one of those crazy people who think we shouldn't throw people in jail for years for putting harmful substances in their body. I know I'm in the minority.

[Turbine]

Ironic UL trivia:

1906: Tobacco banned on campus

1907: UL / USDA set up an on campus Demo Farm that in part taught farmers how to GROW TOBACCO.

[Boomer]

Ironic UL trivia:

1906: Tobacco banned on campus

1907: UL / USDA set up an on campus Demo Farm that in part taught farmers how to GROW TOBACCO.

My deceased ex teammate Bill Bayard was at least a pack a day dude....unfiltered Kool menthol or whatever that was....my wife and I love the smell of a pipe and cigar and hate the cigarettes..... Think about it that people are inhaling paper smoke!!!

[BirdofParadise]

I'll be very interested to see if/how it's enforced at tailgating areas at football games.

And, the person who has had a few beers in the first half and wants to go out and have a smoke away from everyone at halftime.

Most of the schools in our league, FYI, have this no smoking policy. The only place Ive heard of it being strictly enforced has been at UTA. For the most part, at those places, if you light up and you're away from everyone, no one hassles you.

[CajunRage]

What terrible examples you're using. We're not talking about a guy lighting up in a classroom. That's already illegal and deservedly so. We're talking about making it illegal for a guy sitting on a bench in the quad to light up a cigarette even though no one could possibly be bothered by it.

How can you say no one could possibly be bothered by it? Should a non-smoker not be able to sit on that bench because a smoker lit up? What about the person walking to class and has to walk through a puff of smoke? I think banning is a bit much, but there needs to be designated areas and non-smoking areas need to be policed. Those areas already exist and no one adheres to them. Who thinks banning will make a difference if it's not policed? I remember the backside of Moody hall. The only way to walk from the quad to the back door was through the smokers pit. It was disgusting.