It's a beautiful clear day. You step out of your class into the bright sunlight, light up your Pall Mall and take that first luxurious pull. You feel the nicotine hit your bloodstream and everything is right in the world.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

Starting July 1, 2014, Arizona Western College will be going tobacco free.

AWC President, Glenn Mayle issued an announcement on Jan. 15, outlining the ban and explaining why the College is making the decision.

"The initiative, spearheaded by students, and supported by the AWC administration, is part of a larger effort to promote health and wellness in the AWC community," Mayle said. "The AWC Student Government Association (SGA) has been working on this for two years."

For and against

Many students support the ban and have stated as much in the surveys done by the AWC Student Government Association (SGA).

"We've been surveying students for the past couple years, and it's double the amount of students who support the ban," says SGA president, Chris Taffe. "The responses we got from students supporting the ban is that the smell is killing them."

Deana Smith, a psychology major at AWC, is among those who don't accept some of the reasoning behind the ban and who feel they were not properly consulted.

"They say on the website it was faculty and students that made the decision. But where was the open invitation for the students?" Smith said. "I must have missed my invitation."

Smith also has issues with some of the specifics of the ban. Aside from smoking, smokeless tobacco products and electronic cigarettes are also banned.

"The whole thing about the health thing is the second-hand smoke. But with e-cigarettes, there is none," Smith said. "And why ban chewing? There's no second-hand chewing."

AWC Director of Health Services Mary Parston, however, says that e-cigarettes in fact do emit toxic particles.

Smokers Anonymous

Taffe says that the school is trying to get rid of tobacco, but also the idea of smoking, which is why e-cigarettes are included in the ban.

Without question, the tobacco-free health trend is growing and becoming more commonplace. Michigan State University was one of the first major universities to make the move and since then, more than 800 schools nationwide have gone tobacco-free.

In Arizona, Arizona State University went tobacco-free in August of last year, and all the schools in the Maricopa County Community College district have made the switch.

"From all accounts, the Maricopa schools have had great success in going tobacco-free," said Taffe. "It's not like we're setting some bright and brand-new idea. It's more that we're jumping on board with the rest of the country."

Brittany O'Neill, SGA president representative, says the school will try to offer assistance to those who are interested in quitting tobacco.

"We're hoping that if we implement some courses, or some groups can get together to help them quit, it might help them find another outlet for smoking," said O'Neill.

Authority to regulate

The school makes it clear on the AWC website that "there is no ëright to smoke' under state or federal law. AWC has the authority to govern the use of its property and regulate its use."

However, this stance doesn't sit well with some who feel that their rights are being infringed.

"I understand the health implications about cigarette smoking," said Smith. "It's my choice to smoke. I don't blow it in anybody's face. I respect other people.

"If they want to have designated smoking stations, I'm fine with that. But to ban it outright is too much. It's totalitarian."

And what was the impetus behind the movement?

Taffe said that it was something President Mayle brought to the SGA and asked for their support.

"It's the Student Government's responsibility to be the liaison between students, staff and faculty," said Taffe. "He comes to us when has these projects because we do the surveys and activities to promote events on campus."

An honor system?

As with every new policy, there will be an adjustment period, and the school is hoping for everyone's cooperation. There are no specifics on how it will be enforced, but the hope is that community policing will be all that is needed.

However, Taffe says, "The ban is part of the student code of conduct, so if students continue to defy the ban, there could be potential repercussions."

So for all you smokers, enjoy your final puffs, because it's a brave new world out there, and tobacco isn't part of it.

photo by Zachary Zdon