The University Hospital officially went smoke-free Oct. 1, which means no smoking anywhere in or around the hospital. Gone are the days of designated smoking areas. Dec. 1, the entire state of Virginia will be smoke-free - at least in bars and restaurants that aren't private clubs and don't have separately ventilated enclosed smoking areas.
Because of Virginia's tobacco industry, this ban was actually rather difficult to pass and failed many times prior to this past February.
Smoking bans always spark controversy for various reasons. Many people say that bars and restaurants will lose business because smokers won't come if they are not allowed to smoke. But this theory has been proven wrong, as in Austin, Texas, where bars on Sixth Street - a stretch of road in Austin famous for lots of bars and drunken college students - actually did not lose business after a smoking ban went into effect.
There are also those who believe that secondhand smoke is simply a conspiracy theory, or at least doesn't amount to the same health detriment as actual smoking; therefore, the consequences of smoking couldn't possibly be as great in those who are "secondhand smokers." This argument comes about because smoking bans are touted as advantageous for public health, and many believe this angle is over-stated. A recent study cited in Reuters in September, however, found that smoking bans reduce heart attacks by 36 percent during a three-year period. This find led to two conclusions: Not only does secondhand smoke have the same negative impact on health as firsthand smoking - increasing the risk for heart disease as much as 25 to 30 percent - but also that smoking bans do, in fact, work.
But smoking, as we know, does not limit its path of destruction to the heart - even though that would be enough. Smoking causes lung problems ranging from emphysema and chronic bronchitis - which severely limit a person's quality of life and activity and increase the risk of infections like bronchitis and pneumonia - to lung cancer, especially a certain type called small cell lung cancer, or oat cell cancer only found in smokers. This type of cancer has a very poor prognosis because of its tendency to metastasize, or spread, very quickly. Smoking also increases the risk of cancers to any tissues it touches, such as mouth, throat, stomach and even bladder cancer - after all, the toxins have to leave the body somehow. Also, the mechanism by which smoking causes heart attacks and heart disease also increases the risk for strokes and other blood clots (arms, legs, stomach and kidneys), called peripheral artery disease. For women on hormonal contraception (oral or otherwise), the risk of blood clots is even higher than with smoking alone, which is why those Yaz commercials always say, "women, especially over 35, shouldn't smoke."
So while many people - smokers and non-smokers alike - bemoan the loss of freedom because of the ban on smoking, we should instead be celebrating its positive impact on public health. Smoking not only yellows your teeth and nails, but also makes your skin sallow, your hair brittle and your breath and clothes smell. It also can cause breathing problems, make you very sick and, oh yeah, in the long run, it can kill you and those around you.
Katie McBeth is a University Medical student. She can be reached at k.mcbeth@cavalierdaily.com.
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