Temple University is introducing a complete ban on all tobacco products on university grounds, joining a growing number of universities who are inching towards becoming tobacco-free campuses.
On Tuesday, University president Richard M. Englert announced the school’s plan to ban all forms of tobacco, starting in the fall 2019 semester, to ensure a healthier learning, working and living environment.
The ban was recommended by the school’s Presidential Smokefree Campus Task Force after a survey it conducted found that 82 percent of student respondents strongly agreed or somewhat agreed that secondhand smoke exposure is bad for health. 43 percent of student respondents said they are exposed to secondhand smoke often or always when walking through Temple’s campus as well.
In its final report, the task force also recommended prohibiting the sale of tobacco and nicotine delivery on Temple University campuses.
“A comprehensive policy that will address all forms of tobacco—not just combustible products—is now being created,” Englert said in a statement to the university community.
“The goal of the policy is to eliminate the use of all tobacco products in all indoor and outdoor spaces at each Temple campus in the United States. We plan to attack the issue on a number of fronts, including smoking cessation to help students, faculty and staff break their nicotine addiction.”
Last year, the University of Illinois also imposed a blanket ban on all dissolvable forms of tobacco orbs and strips, including electronic cigarettes, vaping devices, and chewing tobacco on campus.
