“Up in Smoke,” just smoke and mirrors

No one can reasonably argue that smoking is good for you; that’s not the point. The frustrating aspect of this debate, however, is that the government and the public increasingly overlook, and even sanction, other health risks. So, before Jacob Stewart (“Up in Smoke,” July 2) proclaims victory over smoking on campus, which by the way leads him to the inevitable conclusion that tobacco will be banned nationwide, I would invite you to consider other public health risks on campus that, following the same logic, should either be banned or deemed taboo.\nThough alcohol is banned on campus and most college students are not old enough to legally consume it, many IU students brazenly celebrate their indulgence in alcohol by wearing “Dry Campus … My Ass!” T-shirts. Why? Underage alcohol use is part of the college identity, accepted and applauded as part of the experience.\nIf we are truly concerned about legality and health risks, consider this: alcohol impairs judgment, provokes people to violence, is addictive and can cause serious long-term health issues after prolonged use. Curiously, alcohol gets a free pass in the public health debate. Curiously, the recent message to the public has been, “You can drink all you want in bars, just don’t smoke while you’re doing it.” So before you hoist a beer to toast the end of smoking, consider what the imposed drinking age and IU’s dry campus policy have done to the wanton consumption of alcohol.\nSecondly, walk through the IMU and take note of the dietary options available to you there. You will find, in abundance, cheap food loaded with saturated fats, cholesterol, high-fructose corn syrup and countless other chemical additives known to cause cancer, heart attacks, high blood pressure and obesity. If this practice were not sanctioned by IU and the students, we wouldn’t have Burger King and Pizza Hut on campus, and the lunch lines at those establishments wouldn’t be 20 people deep every day. Not only is this health hazard sanctioned on campus; in fact, obesity is even publicly endorsed by Chase Bank because for every tenth purchase at Burger King, your next one is free! \nAre these health risks not risky enough to warrant a ban on alcohol or fast food? Why focus so heavily on tobacco while granting a free pass to other health risks? Is it the second-hand smoke? I accept that smokers should be courteous to others and not smoke directly in front of doors and open windows, but is smoking outside really more offensive than inhaling the exhaust of a Hummer passing by, or hearing offensive music played at excessive volumes, or seeing people vomiting and falling down on the streets of Kirkwood after a bar crawl?\nFinally, public health aside, I take issue with the message of Stewart’s argument. In sum, he is telling us the outlook isn’t good for smokers, so they should just accept that and move on. Is this really the attitude we are teaching in college, to uncritically assess developments in society, accept them and waste our time on something else? I sincerely hope not.