United States: Democratic officials in favor of smoke-free campuses

In the United States, Democratic elected officials are urging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to update its guidelines to encourage all U.S. campuses to go completely tobacco-free during the COVID-19 pandemic[1].

Based on a study showing a link between youth smoking and COVID-19, two Democratic lawmakers, Raja Krishnamoorth and Dick Durbin are calling on the CDC to revise guidelines for universities to encourage them to become tobacco- and vape-free campuses starting this fall semester.

According to statistics from the American Nonsmokers' Right Foundation, on the 5,300 American college campuses[2], about 2,500 prohibit smoking and about 2,100 prohibit the use of all tobacco products including vaping products[3]However, many campuses have not yet implemented these provisions or have not defined specific policies on the matter and allow smoking in designated smoking areas. Krishnamoorthi and Durbin believe that it is time for these campuses to consider such a ban at least during the period of the virus circulation.

The two elected officials specifically cited a study from the Journal of Adolescent Health[4] suggesting that young people aged 13 to 24 who vape are five times more likely than non-vapers to contract COVID-19. Those who smoke both traditional cigarettes and vape are seven times more likely to be diagnosed with coronavirus. Krishnamoorthi and Durbin also noted that young people could be vectors of virus transmission in the United States. They fear this situation will worsen as students return to college campuses.

For universities that decide to become tobacco- and smoke-free, the American Cancer Society, under the direction of its Center for Tobacco Control, provides grants and technical assistance to accelerate and expand the implementation of its initiative. Tobacco-Free Generation Campus.

Keywords: Universities, United States, Tobacco-free places ©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1] Tal Axelrod, Democrats urge CDC to update guidance to encourage colleges, universities go tobacco-free, The Hill, September 3, 2020, accessed September 7, 2020 [2] How Many Colleges Are In The US? Numbers Of Colleges And Educational Institutions. [3] Chris Burt, The push to have colleges be tobacco-free this fall, University Business, September 4, 2020, accessed September 7, 2020 [4] Shivani Mathur Gaiha, Ph.D; Jing Cheng, Ph.D; Bonnie Halpern-Fisher, Ph.D; Association Between Youth Smoking, Electronic Cigarette Use, and Coronavirus Disease 2019, Journal of Adolescent Health, USA, August 11, 2020, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.07.002 National Committee Against Smoking |