Duke University goes tobacco-free

All tobacco products are now banned from the campusDuke University, in the US state of North Carolina. The late inclusion of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products in the scope of the ban was not without turmoil. Announced in April 2018, the ban on the use of tobacco products on university property came into effect on July 1, 2020, after extending the ban to include vaping products and heated tobacco products in February. While the measure is consistent with the university's anti-smoking policy, its introduction has sparked debate within the community.

Duke University involved in tobacco reduction efforts

Since 2007, the tenth American university[1] is actively involved in tobacco reduction efforts. Its anti-smoking policy[2] Smoking is prohibited inside and outside all types of university facilities, whether buildings or parking lots, including those rented to third parties. These provisions also apply to everyone on campus: faculty, students, and various employees, as well as volunteers and contractors. The ban, which came into effect on July 1, is an extension of the policy adopted in 2007. It simply expands the list of prohibited tobacco products, but is not exhaustive. In other words, both combustible products such as cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, and shisha, and non-combustible products such as snuff, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco products, are banned from Duke University property. Anyone found to be in violation will be referred to treatment options to help them quit smoking. Failure to do so or repeat offenses will be punished more severely, with the usual sanctions for non-compliance with University regulations. The University has a smoking cessation assistance program that provides personalized assistance to anyone who wants to quit smoking, ranging from telephone counseling to medication.  

The debate sparked by the issue of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco

Initially, when the ban was first considered for extension in 2017, non-combustible tobacco products were not affected. In October 2019, based on newly available data on the dangers of e-cigarettes, particularly their link to respiratory illnesses, eight professors signed a letter arguing in favor of a ban. This was subsequently supplemented by the signatures of 14 international experts on smoking and addiction. The opposing argument was supported by Professor Jed Rose, director of the Duke Center for Smoking Cessation* and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. His credibility, however, has been tarnished by the discovery of research funding received from tobacco companies, including Philip Morris International (PMI) and JUUL Labs Inc. He still maintains that he has no conflict of interest. Students on campus also took part in the debate, some denouncing an excessive intrusion into individual freedoms and others praising the University for taking a stand against smoking, in its entirety. The University appears to have taken both points of view into account and today offers, on its website, a page justifying the reasons for the ban. * Duke Smoking Cessation Center   ©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1] US News, Overview of Duke University, www.usnews.com (accessed July 30, 2020). [2] Duke University, Tobacco Free Policy, duke.edu (accessed July 30, 2020). [3] BOYD Leah, Ban on tobacco products goes into effect, including e-cigarettes and vaping products, www.dukechronicle.com (July 1, 2020 - accessed July 29, 2020). [4] KULSHRESTHA Ashwin, Why Duke is now considering adding e-cigarettes to its smoking ban, www.dukechronicle.com (October 23, 2019 - accessed July 29, 2020). DNF - For a Zero Tobacco World | MT