Supporting a Smoke-Free Campus
As of August 2009 the University at Buffalo is smoke-free inside buildings, outside buildings, and in green space on campus. During the first transitional year of the policy, people will be allowed to smoke in parking lots that are more than 100 feet from campus buildings. This applies to UB students, employees, and visitors.
Quit Smoking Drop-In Clinic
Fridays, 11 am — 2 pm, 10/16/09—12/04/09 Wellness Education Services, 114 Student Union
This program is available to students, staff, and faculty. You can be in the process of planning to quit or working on staying quit. We know it may take several quit attempts to quit for good and we want to share the tools to help you succeed! For more information view PDF flyer (841KB).
Additional Services
- UBreathe Free policy
- Tobacco Cessation Services at UB: PDF (95KB) | Word (28KB)
- For members of the University community who are thinking about quitting and are ready to get help and support, please contact the New York State Smokers' Quitline
- Tobacco on Campus
, 2006 report from the American Lung Association
- Tobacco and LGBT Youth
After clicking the link, you will need to scroll down past the white space; 2002 American Journal of Public Health
- Printable Flyers:
- Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Cardiovascular Effects: PDF (27KB) |Word (26KB)
New Quit Coach Program!
This Fall Wellness Education Services and the School of Pharmacy launched a collaborative "Quit Coach" program. This free 3-month program offers students, faculty and staff who want to quit smoking the support of a trained pharmacy student who can help personalize a quit plan and follow-through on the tough days. Personal Quit Coaches are available to help with challenges such as smoking triggers, nicotine withdrawal, stress management and the side effects of nicotine replacement therapy. For the full program description, click here.
To enroll, click here. For more information, contact Sharlynn Daun-Barnett from Wellness Education Services at sd62@buffalo.edu or 645-2837x5.
For additional information visit the UBreathe Free website
Why are universities around the nation adopting tobacco-free policies?
- Secondhand smoke. There is no safe level of secondhand smoke exposure. It can cause cancer in tobacco users and non-smoking bystanders. Separate "smoking areas" are a health threat to our students, faculty and staff. The New York State Commissioner of Health has urged campuses to become completely smoke-free, both indoors and outdoors.
- The tobacco industry heavily targets college students. Big tobacco spends 41 million dollars per day promoting their products, and due to smoke-free indoor regulations, the industry has increased smokeless tobacco marketing by at least one million dollars. The tobacco industry relies on young people initiating use of tobacco in order to replace the 430,000 tobacco users who die each year from tobacco-related causes. We want to prevent UB students from starting to smoke and getting addicted to tobacco.
- Tobacco-use regulations are proven to decrease tobacco use rates. Policies that restrict where tobacco can be used, both indoor and outdoor, are proven to be one of the most effective methods to reduce tobacco use—through decreasing the number of people that begin using tobacco and increasing the number of people who choose to quit tobacco. Free tobacco cessation workshops, quit coaching, and consultation services are available on campus through Wellness Education Services and Wellness & Work/Life Balance, University Human Resources. Additional resources and support for quitting smoking, including free nicotine gum, patches or lozenges (if eligible), are available through the New York State Smokers' Quitline.
- Environmental impact. Cigarette butts are the world’s greatest litter problem, with 4.3 trillion butts littered annually, and each butt taking an average of 25 years to decompose because of the plastic fibers in the filter. Manufacturing tobacco causes deforestation and pollution from the mass use of fertilizers. Additionally, tobacco farm workers can be poisoned from producing tobacco crops. In conjunction with President Simpson’s endorsement of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, current UB Green programs, and other “Greener Shade of Blue” initiatives, we want to reduce the environmental impact of tobacco on our community at UB.
- The pendulum is swinging towards tobacco-free around the nation. Over 160 colleges and universities have similar outdoor tobacco regulations. UB is the first State University of New York campus in Western New York to institute a 100% smoke-free campus policy. Outdoor air acts are becoming the norm around the nation at city and state levels—not just on college campuses. We want to be a leader for the SUNY campuses.