On July 1 the University of Arkansas will become one of the first major universities to ban the use of all tobacco products on campus property. This is not a smoking ban, it is a ban on all tobacco, including chewing tobacco. And this is not just a ban on smoking inside buildings or within 25 feet of entrance-ways, which is already prohibited, it is a ban on using tobacco anywhere on campus by anyone.
The University has not specified the exact reason for the ban, but it cannot be to prevent second-hand smoking problems. By including chewing tobacco, from which there can be no second-hand harm, it is clear that the motivation for the ban is to benefit the health of the users of tobacco themselves by pushing them to quit.
Forcing students, staff, and visitors to our campus to improve their health seems beyond the reasonable authority of the University. What’s next? How about banning people from bringing fast food on campus? How about intentionally scheduling classes on opposite sides of campus to force people to walk more?
I see no problem with the University banning smoking inside or near buildings that may harm or seriously bother others. And I see no problem with educating students and staff about the health hazards of smoking. But the University also has a responsibility to respect and instill within students an appreciation for liberty. To do that they have to allow people to make life choices for themselves, especially when those choices pose no direct harm to others.
There is a University web forum in which these issues have started to be discussed.
On July 1 it will be the University of Arkansas, but soon it may be at a campus near you. As the University press release says, “people from several colleges across the nation have called university officials to get information about how they might create a similar policy on their campuses, and to find out what kinds of issues could arise when making this kind of policy decision.”
Posted by Jay P. Greene 
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