SANTA MONICA COLLEGE Standing in front of the music department,Damon Reiss takes a long drag from his cigarette and exhales as if he’s just dropped a thousand pounds of stress.
“I really enjoy smoking, especially when I’m studying,” Reiss said, obviously relishing the chance to rest without worry.“It helps me relax and kind of gives me a moment to sit and think without having any distractions.”
For Emily Moore, also a music major, cigarette smoke is a distraction. She’s not a fan of smoke wafting into her airspace, forcing her to move to another bench to study.
“Tobacco isn’t good for those who are exposed to it second-hand or those who are smoking. It’s not good for anyone,” she said. “I’d like to see it banned.”
Moore just might get her wish. Students here will be asked in April whether or not they would like the campus to be smoke-free. Based on the vote, SMC officials may bring the matter before the board of trustees for a vote, making the community college smoke-free for the first time.
At present, smoking is prohibited within 25-feet of any building, open window or public entrance on campus, said Bruce Smith, a spokesman for the college.
Anti-smoking advocates plan to run an advertisement, beginning Wednesday, urging students to vote in favor of an all-out ban.
Dr. Trisha Ross is one of the forces driving the proposed cigarette butt-out. A pediatrician at Cedars-Sinai who has testified regarding the dangers of cigarette smoke, Ross said she is concerned about the health of students, many of whom are in their teens and may not understand the dangers of smoking or may believe that they are invincible because of their age.
“This is definitely one of the hardest groups to reach,” Ross said.
In 2005, students were asked whether or not they would prefer a smoke-free campus or the establishment of smoking areas. The vote was virtually split down the middle, with half the students in favor of an all out ban, according to The Associated Students of Santa Monica College, which represents the interests of students on campus.
Smith said the vote was pushed to the wayside during a transition in leadership.
If SMC were to ban smoking on its campuses, it would join City Hall in enacting some of the most far-reaching restrictions on smoking in the nation, aside from Calabasas, which has outlawed smoking in public all together.
Late last year, elected city officials voted to ban smoking on Third Street Promenade, all outdoor dining areas, bust stops, ATM lines and other service areas, as well as within 20-feet of any window or entrance open to the public.
Smoking has also been outlawed at all parks, the beach, restaurants and bars.
More municipalities are enacting bans following reports by the United States Surgeon General and the California Air Resources Board that labeled second-hand smoke a toxic air contaminant that leads to premature death. The Surgeon General went so far as to say there is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke.
At SMC, reactions to the possibility of a smoke-free campus were mixed. Smokers were naturally not happy with the idea, while nonsmokers were eager to see something passed.
“If you don’t like it, just walk away, go somewhere else,” Ellika Soltani, a smoker. “We’re out in the open air. I can see with restaurants and bars, but this is an open space. I don’t see what the problem is.”
Soltani did admit that if a ban was passed, it would force her to cut down on smoking.
“I guess I wouldn’t be able to have that smoke before class,” she said.
Juliana Gabrovsky, a political science major, said she doesn’t smoke and doesn’t really feel bothered by those who do, however, she thinks it is a good idea to pass some kind of restrictions to protect public health and protect children from learning bad habits early in life.
“Kids seeing adults smoking reinforces it, making them believe that’s OK and it’s not,” she said.
Gabrovsky is skeptical that a ban will be approved by trustees given the large number of foreign students who attend SMC and smoke.
There is a common belief that other countries are less concerned regarding the dangers of second-hand smoke, even though countries in Europe,including Ireland,have outlawed smoking in the workplace and other public places.
“I don’t think there’s much point in discussing it,” Gabrovsky said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 26, 2007. Read the original PDF.