Efforts to put blanket ban on cigarettes failed

Possession, use, or distribution of cigarettes or tobacco products on campus will result in a

warning or reprimand, followed by a one-semester suspension if caught again.

-By Anshika Paliwal

April 2nd, 2022

While the authorities of O P Jindal Global University in Sonipat, Haryana, have banned smoking
on campus, all their efforts to make it a no-smoking zone have failed, with students sneaking in
packets of cigarettes.

“It is not difficult to get packets of cigarettes on campus,” said Aadit (name changed), a second-
year Journalism student. “One has to pay Rs 200-300 more for it.”

He feels that the university should not have a blanket ban on cigarettes because there is no such
ban outside the campus.

With the exception of airports, specific capacity hotels and restaurants with dedicated smoking
areas, the central government and several state governments have already outlawed smoking in
public places. The law was enacted with the intention of protecting people who are exposed to
smoke. People who do not smoke, on the other hand, are passively exposed to the harmful
consequences of smoking. Inhaling Secondhand Smoke (SHS) or Environmental Tobacco
Smoke (ETS) promotes "Passive Smoking," which is just as harmful to one's health.

After two years of online classes during the pandemic, O.P Jindal Global University has recently
reopened. It is a residential institution that prohibits any form of substance misuse on campus,
including smoking and drinking. Having said that, many students have been found smoking
discreetly on campus, and they claim to have purchased packets on the premises.

According to Kirti Khurana, a doctor at Jindal Health Care Centre, inhaling the cigarette smoke
of others is much more dangerous than smoking. Ammonia, Sulphur, and formaldehyde are
among the chemicals in secondhand smoke that harm the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. People
with respiratory diseases like bronchitis or asthma are particularly vulnerable to these chemicals.

“We are in the Covid-19 age, and the virus's primary target is the lungs. Most of us have been
infected, and the infection can harm the walls and linings of our lungs' air sacs. We already have
damaged lungs, and smoking and passive smoking only worsens the problem.”

"Students on campus range in age from 18 to 26, and these are the years of adulthood. When
people start smoking at an early age, they put themselves at risk of early heart disease and
stunted lung growth,” she explains. The institution does not have any particular facilities for
students who wish to quit smoking, but the doctor at the health care center says that anyone who
approaches them for aid will be helped. Students who want to quit smoking are sent to
counsellors for help.

Students feel that smoking improves their concentration and relaxation; nevertheless, Arghya
Kumar Nath, one of the university counsellors said that it does help them relax, but only for a
short time. It raises anxiety and stress in the long run.

“Many students indulge in smoking because they believe it helps them relax. Nicotine takes
roughly 10 seconds to reach the brain. It boosts mood and focus, lowers anger and tension,
relaxes muscles, and reduces hunger. When Nicotine is taken on a regular basis, it creates
changes in the brain, and when it is reduced, it causes withdrawal symptoms.”

According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey India, 2016-17, about 267 million adults (15
years and older) in India (or 29 per cent of all adults) smoke tobacco. As per a secondary
analysis of nationally representative GATS-2 data (Global Adult Tobacco Survey data), one out
of every eight young people aged 15 to 24 consumed tobacco in some way. Current smoking and
smokeless tobacco use were found to be prevalent in 5 per cent and 10.9 per cent of respondents,
respectively, with 2 per cent using both types of tobacco. This is much lower than the results of a
comparative study of GATS-1 data (2009-2010), which found that 22.1 per cent of young people
used tobacco products in some manner. For all age groups, the overall mean age of beginning
tobacco consumption was 17.8 years in GATS-1 (2009-2010), but it was 19.3 years in GATS-2.

If a student is caught smoking even a single cigarette, they will be suspended for the entire
semester, according to the most recent student code of conduct. The student body, however,
challenged the new regulations and negotiated to reinstate the previous code of conduct, which
stated that a student would only be suspended after two warnings.

Students are defying the campus's no-smoking ban. They do not just bring cigarettes to campus
for themselves; they also sell them to other students for a higher price. The administration has
increased vigilance and tightened security at the university entrance, but the more stringent the
university laws become, the more creative students become in coming up with new ways to
circumvent them.