LETTER: Research is not entirely accurate
To the editor:
In response to the recent tobacco policy put through the ASUSU senate and executive council, I wanted to express my opposition to their decision and about how absurd of an issue this is. Mr. Bennett of the Bear River Health Department states that cigarette smoke is 10 times worse than air pollution emitted from cars. That being the case, we (referring to non-smoking students) are spending mere seconds in passing in the presence of secondhand smoke (SHS), compared to the ever-present ‘Logan haze.’ Bennett, Abernathy and others have raised concerns about the health risks associated with SHS.
As a researching student of this university, I chose to do some literature searching on the matter, and came to some interesting results. Between some poorly performed studies, some very suppositional conclusions and a truck load of 20-year-old regurgitated claims, you will find out that very few studies have been done (almost all performed on people with much more substantial SHS exposure) that yield definitive or significant results, and many (much more recent) studies have statistically shown that there are no significant effects.
I personally don’t smoke, and am open to restrictions on the matter, such as near bus stops or building entrances, but to label this as an ‘awesome opportunity to help people quit’ is a pathetic spin on a poorly presented policy. It is based on popular opinion and will do more harm than good by alienating fellow students. Time and attention would be better spent on other issues, such as car emission pollution, which far exceeds SHS in total exposure and health detriments.
Brad Henrie