Smokers rights violated by Boise State! Wheezers everywhere are offended

Some people are up in arms about Boise State's new policy of no-smoking on campus, that also includes student's own cars that are on campus parking lots.

With much fanfare, Boise State University last week implemented a campus-wide no-smoking policy. I’m not going to deny the ability of the government to regulate or even ban smoking on campus. The trouble is the policy extends beyond the campus and its buildings and straight into privately-owned automobiles. “Smoking on all Boise State property, including in cars parked on the property, is prohibited,” school officials explain in a frequently-asked-questions paper attached to the policy.

And violators? “Boise State University reserves the right to initiate disciplinary procedures against any individual found to be in continuous violation of this policy,” students are warned. I’m not sure what that means, but it sounds like something you wouldn’t want your parents to know about. Boise State takes a huge leap, putting the government in control of the interior of private vehicles, all in the interest of promoting student health and academic performance.

I personally have no problem with the smoking ban since I've literally been sickened walking to class before while going by a pack of lung-killers. However extending their jurisdiction to somebody's car is going to piss off some freedom lovers here in Amuri-ka.

Problem is, cigarettes and smoking are both a substance and a purposeful act. If the university has deemed that unhealthy for the public and it's students, they have every right as an institution to do so. It's not like you can have sex in your car while parked in a university lot and not get in trouble for it. Chances are you'll probably be ticketed for lewd acts in public or at least asked to leave. Like cigarettes, sex is not illegal however, institutions find that people doing it in the front seat for the world to see would be less than right for our society.

Now Boise State has come across with the ruling that they don't think students sitting on their college campus smoking is a good thing for society and for student health in general. Good for them, I support it. It's pretty cut and dry to me. If you want to continue to do this, go home and smoke.

I hear smokers complain all the time about their rights being violated and how it's harder to smoke in public areas. Duh. Not only is second-hand smoke dangerous (so I wouldn't want to walk through a parking lot and get assaulted by smoke - trust me, not too many people would smoke with the windows rolled up), but down the line these smokes drive up costs in our health care system when their body starts to break down. So please, make smoking a felony for all I care - it's damaging to society and it's affecting me even if I don't light up.