CSUSM Will Become Smoke-Free Campus in Fall

CSUSM NewsCenter

Get ready for a tobacco-free environment. Cal State San Marcos, which already limits tobacco use to designated smoking areas, will become a completely smoke- and tobacco-free campus beginning in fall 2017.Electronic cigarettes will also be banned.

“Becoming a smoke- and tobacco-free campus protects and promotes the health and well-being of our campus community,” said Dr. Kimberly Pulvers, a CSUSM associate professor of psychology who has researched addiction and tobacco use extensively. “The smoke- and tobacco-free campus initiative supports the mission and values of our university, prepares our students to enter workforces which are increasingly smoke and tobacco-free, and supports environmental sustainability and litter reduction.”

CSU Chancellor Timothy White issued an Executive Order on April 7 implementing a systemwide smoke- and tobacco-free environment for campuses effective Sept. 1.

CSUSM will be aided in its effort through a recently awarded $20,000 grant as part of the American Cancer Society and the CVS Health Foundation’s Tobacco-Free Generation Campus Initiative, a $3.6 million effort to accelerate and expand smoke- and tobacco-free campuses. The funding will be used for educational material, supplies and personnel essential to implement and evaluate the initiative. Monthly educational events promoting the program through a variety of channels already is under way.

A recent survey showed more than three quarters of students support the concept.

Nearly 10 percent of the campus community, including faculty and staff, had used a tobacco product within the past 30 days, according to the survey, including nearly 9 percent who smoked cigarettes. And the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Environmental Protection Agency say there is no safe level for exposure to second-hand smoke.

Pulvers said designated smoking areas – such as the kind now in place on campus – can, in fact, do more harm than good, as they may encourage non-daily smokers to light up. And that can lead to the faulty perception that more people are using tobacco than ...

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