JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville University is kicking butt- cigarette butts!
The Arlington school becomes a smoke-free campus when classes resume next week and the decision to ban smoking it backed by a lot of science.
The CDC says an adult who has never smoked a single cigarette can still get heart disease, lung cancer and stroke from secondhand smoke.
That’s why campus leaders and student government decided to make lightable tobacco off limits.
“Students have been very supportive,” said Michael Fleming with Jacksonville University.
Beginning August 7th JU is prohibiting all smoking- that includes those people who live on campus. Students, employees, consultants, contractors and visitors—no one is immune.
The new policy is aligned with JU’s new Healthy Campus Program which is also rolling out ways to become a greener and more exercise friendly campus. The university is even making an effort to help smokers quit the habit all together, providing a free six-week group quit-class.
The university feels so strongly about helping its students because, as it states in the new policy, tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States.
JU says it’s not just smokers they are trying to help but those exposed to second hand smoke on their campus. The CDC says it’s just as harmful, killing 2,500,000 people since 1964.
JU now is the second local college to ban smoking on campus- following the University of North Florida’s decision to go smoke-free in 2015.
Signs will go up all across campus to let people know the new rule- it also will now be a violation of student conduct, meaning there will be consequences for anyone on campus breaking the rule.