Maybe it’s time to move on

France has officially banned cigarettes in all public places. I was pretty shocked to hear this. What do you think of when pondering French culture? Baguettes? A beret? Cigarettes? Starting in January, all public places in France (museums, cafés, train stations, etc.) are required to be completely smoke-free, according to BBC.com. Streets or private areas, such as hotel rooms or residential homes, are not included in the ban. An individual will be fined 75 euros for smoking in a public place and the property on which the offense occurred will be fined 150 euros. All for wanting your nicotine fix. The French government tallied that tobacco use causes 60,000 deaths every year, approximately one death every 13 seconds (with the additional 5,000 deaths related to second-hand smoking). \nAs expected, the general French population is not pleased with the new limits, according to BBC.com. Many French people think a restaurant providing non-smoking areas is enough. There are also issues of commerciality and the marketing of tobacco products. The public feels it’s impossible to ask consumers and patrons to discontinue the use of cigarettes in public businesses when 43 percent of establishments in Paris alone sell tobacco products. The French government has already increased the price of tobacco products by 6 percent. Although the ban will greatly reduce the number of annual tobacco-related deaths, there will surely be new examples of the French peoples’ penchant for rioting.\nPersonally, I don’t stand on either side. \nSimilar restrictions at IU began Jan. 1. The Tobacco-Free Policy, as established by Dick McKaig, dean of students, and Dan Rives, associate vice president of human resources, states that, along with the sale of tobacco products, “the use of tobacco products on University-owned, operated, and leased property and vehicles” is prohibited. Tobacco use is also banned in privately owned vehicles. There are a few exceptions: 1.) As is the case at IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis, all city sidewalks and streets are not affected by this policy. This means the public city streets of Bloomington are fair game for all students. 2.) Tobacco products may be granted and used near student-related facilities (for example, all dorms) and the Indiana Memorial Union conference center.\nShould IU be included in the new wave of smoke-free campuses across the country? Tobacco-related deaths, totaling about 500,000 each year in the United States, are the single most preventable cause of death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Let’s not forget that smoking also affects those close to the tobacco user through second-hand smoke. From the smoking students’ point of view, the ban can be seen as a repression on the rights of IU students. I have talked to fellow Hoosiers who feel the University does not have the power to tell them how to live their lives. How can someone else decide what you choose to do with your free time? On the other hand, the school says it holds an obligation, as an institution of higher learning, to set an example for other universities around the nation and lead them toward a tobacco-free campus. Programs to aid in the process of quitting smoking will be available to all employees and students.\nI believe this to be an issue that will continue to be on the front burner for some time. Keep in mind that whether you have a problem with smoking, the ban is already here. As the changes set in, I recommend simply going with the flow and trying not to get too caught up in it all. Perhaps it’s time to say, “life goes on.”