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The surgeon general warns that smoking is hazardous to your health. I’m reading that off my pack of cigarettes as I write this. Well, duh. Even back in the 50s when tobacco companies were lying through their nicotine-stained teeth, it should have been obvious. The best clue might have been the side effects that did not afflict nonsmokers. It isn’t the 50s anymore and the tobacco industry has had to finally accept the role of villain. And if you smoke, you’ve probably noticed that you’ve been cast in the role of a slightly lesser villain, a Scooter Libby of sorts. Seems that those hardy nonsmokers were suffering right alongside with us, although we didn’t see them through the haze of secondhand smoke.

Well, villains, prepare to be cited! At least, if you happen to be on campus within 20 feet of a district-owned building, anywhere food is served, or along the outside of sports events. Starting January, PCC has authorized campus police to hand out citations to students caught lighting up in a no light up zone.

Of course, those zones that could cost you (exactly how much has yet to be determined) will not be marked, but officers will be trained to tell how far 20 feet is. Well that’s great! What about the rest of us?

Smokers already know that they’re a drag in most social situations. Nonsmokers are very enthusiastic about reminding us of that, and they aren’t wrong in doing so.

But extracting money from someone for smoking 15 feet away from a building instead of 20 is only punishing people (students for the most part, I would imagine) who are already wasting their money on smoking. I would think that a campus police department that suggests there’s need for them to carry firearms has more important things to do than charge people for smoking.

That being said, the zones designated as nonsmoking should be respected. It’s not going to kill us to be more considerate of people who don’t smoke. All that smoking we do will take care of that.

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