University Of Montana Proposes Campus Tobacco Ban

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — The University of Montana is proposing a campus-wide ban on all forms of tobacco, though students and staff would have nearly two years to quit before it's enforced.

The Associated Students of the University of Montana Senate endorsed the ban and President George Dennison recently sent an e-mail informing faculty, staff and students of the proposal.

Over the next year, the university will gather comments and hold public meetings and smoking cessation programs. The ban would take effect in the fall of 2011.

The University of Montana and other Montana campuses already have a 25-foot nonsmoking perimeter around building entrances, but a study by the UM Tobacco Task Force found that nearly two-thirds of smokers were violating that regulation.

"We actually did the research because some students were complaining about it," said Kari Harris, an associate professor of public health at UM.

The ban includes smokeless tobacco because just banning smoking would give students the message that it's safer to use other forms of tobacco, she said.