Trends of smoking and tobacco use on college and university campuses has seen a steady decline in recent years as a result of advocacy and tobacco education campaigns by several public health organizations.
Recent efforts to curtail tobacco use at community colleges and historically Black colleges and universities specifically have continued through the Truth Initiative “Tobacco-Free College Program.” Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) is the latest school to receive a $20,000, 17-month grant from the initiative to educate students on the effects of tobacco use and to develop and implement comprehensive tobacco-free policies.
“It is vital that our students know the risks tobacco and second-hand smoke pose both for themselves as well as their families and communities,” said Dr. Gordon F. May, BCCC president and CEO. “This grant will enable BCCC to work toward the goal of being a smoke-free campus for the health of our students and for all of Baltimore.”
The Truth Initiative’s campaign acknowledges that tobacco companies often target lower-income communities, African-American and Latino communities and younger people to get them to smoke. As a result, the initiative’s partnership with the CVS Health Foundation underscores that not only is fighting tobacco use a public health issue, it is a social justice issue.
Amy Taylor, senior vice president of community and youth engagement at the Truth Initiative, says that a majority of community colleges and HBCUs — institutions that largely serve students of the targeted demographics – do not have tobacco- and smoke-free policies.
Only 354 community colleges, which is roughly one-third of all community colleges, and less than half of the 102 federally recognized HBCUs have smoke-free policies, Taylor told Diverse. Some challenges to implementing comprehensive smoke-free policies at community colleges and HBCUs stem from fears that the policies will affect enrollment if students have to travel off campus to smoke or use tobacco products. Another challenge is the fact that these institutions may prioritize other problems around funding, enrollment or classes.
“Sometimes this isn’t the top of their priority list,” Taylor said. “That’s why we created this program to help them make it as easy as possible to understand the issue, get students involved and help pass these policies.”
