The sight and smell of cigarette smoke automatically causes both displeasure and discomfort on any occasion, and the establishment of designated smoking areas for nonsmoking students to avoid this issue is a necessity moving forward on the Cerritos College Campus.

The only real regulations regarding smoking that are posted around the campus are near some building entryways. The sign states that it is prohibited to smoke within 20 feet from the entrance.

20 feet from the doorway can be right in the middle of a crowded sidewalk, where numerous non-smoking students walk from class to class daily.

This 20-foot rule is also set up around all main entrances to the campus, leading to an even cloudier idea of where it is both safe to smoke and safe to avoid smoke.

With large amounts of research and awareness broadcasted through television campaigns such as those put on by thetruth.com, an anti-smoking campaign that is trying to raise the awareness through statistics, Cerritos College should quickly establish designated areas which safely keep people away from smoke exposure.

According to the American Cancer Society website, inhaling secondhand smoke is more harmful than inhaling smoke through the actual cigarette.

“Non-smokers who breathe in secondhand smoke take in nicotine and other toxic chemicals just like smokers do… and more you are exposed to, the higher the level of these harmful chemicals in your body.”

Larger particles of chemicals and nicotine are released from the ignited end of the cigarette than the side designated for the smoker to inhale from, causing the involuntary smoker to take in particles that can easily maneuver into the body’s cells more easily.

These facts may not automatically come to mind as you walk through a plume of smoke trying to walk across campus to your 10 a.m. lecture.

Clearing up the confusion as to where the appropriate locations to both avoid and take part in smoking before an issue erupts would be the smartest approach to the situation.

The inconvenience of having to walk an extra two minutes to a designated smoking location in order to light up a cigarette is completely minuscule in comparison to the inconvenience of developing a serious illness due to inhaling secondhand smoke. These thoughts should be taken into consideration moving forward.

Secondhand smoke dangers should be announced and made aware to both smoking and nonsmoking students on the campus, such that Cerritos College and the community can take bolder and safer steps to making this a healthy environment that everyone can enjoy.

This could all be achieved with the addition of well-posted designated smoking areas around the Cerritos College campus.