smoke-free college campuses?

argh. i'm wrestling with this one. according to this CNN article, more and more college campuses are going smoke-free. from the end of the article:

That's welcome news for some of his nonsmoking classmates. "I'm not forced to be around all of the smokers," says freshman Matthew Bradford, 19. "I'm not breathing it in all of the time, and it's nice to get some fresh air when you get out of class."

on the one hand, yes, no one likes walking through a cloud of smoke. and cigarette butts all over the ground ARE ugly, to be sure. and it's nice of the college to tell people how to live their lives by making it harder for them to smoke (thereby increasing the likelihood they'll quit? or just be super pissy all the time??) on campus, in general.

but on the other hand, (MY hand, my SMOKING hand), banning smoking in outdoor areas is a little ridiculous -- refer above to the stupid freshman's quote. YEAH, those two seconds it takes you to walk past a smoker must be SHEER HELL, kiddo. it sucks you can't breathe fresh air outside, because those one or two people smoking in the vicinity of a door are totally blocking your access to fresh air until you walk past them. (don't make eye contact!! they might talk to you and then you'd have to make polite conversation in a giant smoke cloud outside when you really just want to get away and get some healthy FRESH air, maybe have time to pick up a chai latte and PowerBar before your next class).

as i've come to realize over the years, there's no justification for smoking. no excuses. it's just plain bad.

but do i regret smoking?

i wonder.

i always come back to the conversations i've had over cigarettes, both with smokers and with non-smokers alike (those hardy souls who brave taking in a little secondhand smoke). i have very fond memories of smoking in college, huddled together with the other english majors outside before classes, talking about this paper or that prof, or this visiting writer. and late at night in bars after poetry readings or in someone's backyard after a few drinks. i have even more fond memories of traveling alone in foreign countries and new cities, meeting people outside or in and talking for a bit (making friends, in some instances), all because of a shared addiction to nicotine. even in the last few years as smokers are increasingly forced outside (OK by me, smoke inside is a whole different thing from smoke outside), i've bonded with strangers at airports, cafes, parties. with the busboys and other servers when the restaurant where i was waitressing slowed down. with my parents, [gulp!] it's true.

smoking is a slow, stupid way to kill yourself. there's no denying that.

but it's quiet outside at night, you know. and smokers, one or two, possibly three, would be the ones looking up at the stars and making some small connection in this lonely world, separate from everyone else who's just dying in a different way.