Editor,
We are blessed in this country to have many rights and freedoms.
We can worship how we wish, we can say what we want, we can vote for who we desire. However, one of these fundamental rights is not, "the right to diminish the health of others because it is fun."
Yes, I am talking about smoking.
Suppose that UNM decided to place biohazardous and nuclear waste in regular trash bins around public campus walkways.
Clearly, this poses a health risk and would not be allowed. Suppose that I wanted to bring a legally owned gun to school and set up some targets on the field west of the Zimmerman Library. Obviously, such an action poses too many risks and, similarly, is not allowed.
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People are not allowed to drive while drunk, because there is too great a risk to other people. Why, then, should students be allowed to spread cancer-causing fumes all over campus through cigarette smoking?
I believe that allowing people to smoke in public areas takes away people's right to live in a safe, hazard-free environment. Just as there are appropriate places to dispose of biohazardous waste and appropriate places for target practice that do not interfere with the health of the public, there are appropriate places for smoking that do not infringe upon people's right to live without exposure to hazardous chemicals. Such places could include private bars, residences, cars, and other private areas.
Surely, the right to live in an environment free of obvious health risks outweighs the right to smoke a cigarette wherever one wants to.
Andrea Landaker
UNM student
