Amber McKenna

Laws and regulations are intended to keep citizens safe; however, sometimes these rules have good intentions with unforeseen outcomes.

A new Oregon law that will come into effect Jan. 1 will ban having ashtrays attached to public buildings. For the Linfield campus, this will be in addition to the policy of only being allowed to smoke 30 feet away from campus buildings. As regulations on smoking become more strict, talks of joining the 140 colleges and universities that have become completely smoke-free are in the air.

But where will the smokers go? Are they banished to all locations free of buildings and ashtrays? Smoking may not seem visible on campus, but 25.6 percent of full-time college students smoke, according to the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health done by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. That means a quarter of all students would be seriously affected by a change in smoking regulations. At Linfield, about 12 percent of students smoke, according to the Spring 2008 Health and Behavior Survey. These numbers do not include the faculty and staff members who smoke on campus, nor visitors and guests.

According to the American Cancer Society, 30 percent of all cancer deaths are caused by tobacco. While this is a high number, overall tobacco use by college-aged people has gone down from 31 percent in 2005 to its current number, according to the Drug Use and Health survey.

Secondhand smoke and litter as a product of discarded cigarettes have raised concerns, but is it ethical to ban people from smoking when they are older than 18 years of age and can, according to law, make their own decisions?

Banning smoking could be compared to banning driving, something that is completely legal for those who meet the proper requirements, yet a large number of fatalities occur each year as a result of it.

As the number of smoke-friendly campuses is dropping, the number of campuses that condone tanning beds are on the rise.

At Ohio State University, students are allowed to pay for tanning with their student ID cards at six different local tanning salons. Wright State University in Ohio and the University of Kansas host tanning salons on their campuses, but not without complaint and controversy.

Likewise, most large universities are surrounded by student-geared apartment complexes, many of which have adjoining tanning salons. In every other college town, student discounts and special prices are offered at tanning locals.

Something is wrong with this picture. Melanoma, or skin cancer is most commonly found in women in their 20s, a.k.a college-aged women. It is also found in men, and the use of indoor tanning salons can increase the risk of skin cancer, according to the Colette Coyne Melanoma Awareness Campaign. The American Cancer Society resolves that the number of melanoma cases and deaths from the cancer are increasing every year.

Naturally, colleges that have allowed tanning salons have faced criticism from parents, students and others. The defenses used by the universities have been mainly the same: The institution is not encouraging use of tanning salons, and the students are adults who can decide on their own.

If making good decisions in college rides solely on the students’ ability to do so, then why don’t we sell tobacco and alcohol in campus stores? Probably because it would make the college look like they were saying such behaviors are permissible to them.

Like smoking, tanning is not recommended for any persons younger than 18. Twenty-two states currently have regulations for youth access to tanning beds. If both activities are dangerous and can cause cancer, shouldn’t the regulations of each reflect that equally?

Maybe bans and rules should be created more carefully and with a broader consideration for all involved.