Tobacco-free campus policy

Since its inception, TAG has advocated for a tobacco-free campus policy at the UW.

On Thursday, June 4, 2015, TAG emailed the following letter to UW Interim President Cauce and Interim Provost Baldasty:

Dear Interim President Cauce & Interim Provost Baldasty,

With approximately 480,000 people dying each year in the US from tobacco-related illnesses, it is well known that tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States. Less often acknowledged, however, is the social justice crisis behind tobacco use, as most of those who suffer the worst harms in terms of disease, disability and death are individuals from marginalized communities. For these general reasons and the more specific reasons outlined below, we, students at the University of Washington, strongly support the adoption of a 100% tobacco-free policy.

Surveys have borne out broad support for policy change. A 2014 UW-Tacoma survey of 718 students conducted by a group of nursing students found that 76% viewed the adoption of a 100% smoke- and tobacco-free policy as important. Sixty percent of respondents to a 2015 UW-Seattle survey organized by ASUW Student Health Consortium (n=261) agreed with the statement “UW should be 100% smoke- and tobacco-free.”

Adopting a strong tobacco-free policy at the University of Washington, covering all three campuses, would be an important step in addressing tobacco-related health disparities, and preventing initiation and/or progression of tobacco use by students and other marginalized and vulnerable individuals in our UW community. For example:

• Of the 480,000 people who die each year in the US, approximately 200,000 of them also struggle with a serious mental health or other substance use concern.
• As a result of aggressive tobacco industry marketing, LGBT individuals are twice as likely to use tobacco than their heterosexual/cis counterparts.
• Low-income individuals, who are also more likely to use tobacco, often lack consistent access to preventive care and treatment for illnesses.
• While not all communities of color use tobacco at elevated rates, many do, and community members of color often lack consistent access to high quality healthcare and face worse health outcomes from tobacco-related illnesses. Additionally, existing cessation/treatment programs may not be designed in ways that are culturally or linguistically appropriate.

We would like to thank you for directing the Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) Board to develop recommendations for implementing a tobacco-free campus. We urge that you accept their unanimous findings and recommendation to form a representative committee to develop and implement the policy in a timely manner. Within the general policy, we recommend the committee include the following priorities:

• The needs of students and employees who use tobacco must be central to the development of this policy and support must be made easily available, at low or no cost. This should include the availability of Nicotine Replacement Therapy for those who wish to stop using tobacco or to make those who continue to use tobacco more comfortable while on campus.
• Resources must be available to provide appropriate support for groups who exhibit higher than average tobacco use, including LGBT individuals, UW community members with mental health concerns, and international students.
• As is the case in the University of California system, provisions in the policy should include exemptions for traditional ceremonial activities of recognized cultural and/or religious groups.
• Enforcement of the policy should primarily focus on education and protection of health for all UW community members, and any potential penalties should not impact students’ ability to register for courses, graduate, or result in significant financial burdens.

Thank you again, and we look forward to your response.

[Signed by student leaders representing the following organizations]

Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Medical Society

American Medical Student Association

American Public Health Association

ASUW Student Health Consortium

DDS (Dental Club)

Evans Student Organization

Health & Wellness Peer Health Educators

MEDLIFE

Minority Association of Pre-Health Students

School of Public Health Dean’s Advisory Council for Students

Student Public Health Association

Tobacco Action Group

UW Hand2Hand Pre-Health Service Club

UW Lung Health

TAG members have actively collaborated with other UW student organizations in working towards educating the campus about students’ thoughts and perceptions of implementing a tobacco-free campus policy.

In May 2016, TAG members Nick Fradkin and Elizabeth Medeiros developed a policy brief that provides an overview of:

• history of tobacco policy work at UW
• basic information on tobacco use
• UW-specific data on students’ thoughts and perceptions on the implementation of a tobacco-free campus
• policy recommendations for UW

To view the policy brief, please click here.