Op-ed: Vaping and cigarette sales in the bookstore

by Jennifer Rehm

With the recent problems vaping has had on young adults, are the sales of various smoking products in campus bookstores promoting the use of smoking on campus?

For decades, the bookstore here on campus has sold cigarettes. It originally sold 15 different brands and now sells six brands of cigarettes. In the past two years the bookstore has begun selling vapes and Juul pods. Recent studies, from yalemedicine.org,  have shown that most teens ranging from eighth grade to college students are unaware that vaping can be harmful to not only your health but to the brain development as well. 

Cyndie Martin, bookstore manager, said,“I don’t think that by us selling tobacco products on campus affects whether a person starts smoking or not.” She also added “People make choices every day, good or bad but they are their own.” 

Other students disagree, saying that these sales are creating a need for students to smoke on campus. Even if it is a student’s decision to smoke, shouldn’t the school be helping students make the right decision with their choices?

Although the campus bookstore has no plans to remove these products, many believe that is something the school should consider doing. “We do not have any plans to stop the sales of these products,” said Martin. In December  2018, some colleges banned all tobacco products on campus. “Two institutions that recently changed their smoking policies are Skidmore College, which announced in December that, effective this year, all tobacco products are banned on campus, and West Virginia University,” according to Vape Violations on Insidehighered.com

The solution to this problem is to just stop selling these smoking products, it will help to keep students healthy in the long run. If other institutions are putting a ban on tobacco products, I think this school along with many others should follow in the same path. This could lead to a healthier community and environment among peers.