Indiana University is the first Big Ten school to ban smoking on its main campus. Updated Big Ten comparison!
(2008) The World Health Organization believes the entire glode is in an epidemic that will cost 1 billion lives this century.
The culprit: TOBACCO.
Meetings occur every Monday in 111 HUB at 7:00 PM.
For past agendas and more upcoming events, please see the Calendar.
According to a Spring 2007 PULSE poll taken of Penn State Students, 65% support a smoke-free campus.
View the current smoking policy at Penn State and check out our new campaign!
Project SmokeLess will be having a Relay for Life Team. The event will be held at Penn State April 25th and 26th. Help us fight cancer by donating on behalf of our team!
Project SmokeLess was formed in 2002 as Penn State Students for Tobacco Awareness (PSSTA). The group was very much involved with the Clean Indoor Air legislation that is up for vote in the PA government. As part of our campaign, PSSTA, handed out orange buttons and stickers that said “We Support Smoke-free Bars” at the corner of College and Allen. We were able to speak with important local and state level people such as Mike Desmond (local bar and restaurant owner), Senator Jake Corman, Representatives Scott Conklin and Kerry Benninghoff, and the Borough of State College council. In addition to this, we collected hundreds of names that supported clean indoor air and sent many postcards with those names. We were able to solidify our place in the community by reaching out through news articles, Facebook groups, Collegian Ads, and by having a HUB table every Friday. We hope to use this past experience and success to breathe this healthy change through Penn State.
Taking the next step, in 2008, Project SmokeLess went to Harrisburg on two occassions [Jan 30, 2008 and April 7, 2008] to talk to legislators about the Clean Indoor Air Act within Pennsylvania.
See Articles: Jan 31, 2008 | Apr 8, 2008
See Pictures: Jan 30, 2008 | Apr 7, 2008
Press Releases
Projects, Posters, & Banners
Public Service Announcements
It is time Pennsylvania joins the ranks of other states which have already come to appreciate the necessity and urgency of Clean Indoor Air legislation! Tell your hometown legislator to vote in support of the Clean Indoor Air Act (Senate Bill 246, House Bill 720). Call, write, or email your legislators now to help secure a smoke-free environment for tomorrow's Pennsylvania. Look below for an example of what to tell them.
The Clean Indoor Air Act is a bill proposed by the Pennsylvania Senate that would prevent smoking in all public buildings in Pennsylvania (except tobacco shops). [X] With the exception of New Hampshire, Pennsylvania currently has the most lax clean indoor air legislation of all states in the Northeast. [X] In fact, current Pennsylvania smoking regulation comes from a 1988 ammendment to the Fire and Panic Act of 1927. [X] An update is long overdue.
As of March 21, 2007, the bill was being reviewed by the PA Senate Appropriations Committee. [X] If moved forward, it will go to the entire Senate for a vote, and then to the entire House of Representatives for a vote. If both chambers pass it, the Clean Indoor Air Act will become a law. While similar laws have been proposed in the past, never before has such a bill been promoted so completely and quickly from the committee that developed it. [X]
The U.S. Surgeon General as documented for decades that smoking is very hazardous to one's health. [X] Second-hand smoke, however, is also very dangerous. In June 2006, the U.S. Surgeon General released a comprehensive scientific analysis demonstrating the harmfulness of secondhand smoke. The report declares that 49,000 Americans die annually from either lung cancer or coronary heart disease caused by second-hand smoke. [X] The Surgeon General also declares that there is no risk-free level of exposure to second-hand smoke. [X] In addition to the health benefits of clean indoor air legislation, there is a documented increase in bar and restaurant revenue following the implementation of Clean Indoor Air legislation. [X]
The most common reason that clean indoor air legislation is opposed, even by nonsmokers, is that it is believed that such legislation would take away an individual's right to smoke. Clean indoor air legislation, however, does not prevent someone from smoking. The primary goal of the bill is to protect the health of everyone inside public buildings who otherwise would not be able to avoid exposure to toxic second-hand smoke. Smoking legislation, as with all laws, must reflect the societal norms of those affected by it. Since less than 23% of Pennsylvanians smoke as of 2004, it is clear that smoking legislation must favor the rights of nonsmokers. [X]
Don't let Pennsylvania become the ashtray of the northeast. The most effective way to help this legislation is to tell PA legislators to move forward now with a comprehensive Clean Indoor Air Act.
Here's a simple message you can use for your phone call or email.
I live in your home district and I'm also a current student at Penn State University. I'm contacting you to urge you to support Senate Bill 246 and House Bill 720, The Clean Indoor Air Act.
On June 27, 2006, U.S. Surgeon General released a report about secondhand smoke. The report makes it clear that only comprehensive smoke-free workplace laws can protect all workers and the public from the serious, scientifically proven dangers of secondhand smoke.
The evidence is clear that smoke-free laws protect health without harming business. Dozens of studies and hard economic data have shown that smoke-free laws do not harm sales or employment in restaurants and bars and more often have a positive impact. States like California and New York have been able to demonstrate a reduction in smoking rates which will undoubtedly result in reduced health care costs for those states.
Please don't let Pennsylvania become the ashtray of the Northeast. I hope all of Pennsylvania can count on your support to help make us the next smoke-free state in the country.
Thanks for your support,
[your full name & home address]
3/19/07 - State College Borough passes resolution in support of state wide legislation banning smoking in public work places.
Allegheny County Ordinance
Erie County Ordinance
City of Scranton Ordinance
Voter Support of Clean Indoor Air by Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
SMOKE-FREE LAWS DO NOT HARM BUSINESS AT RESTAURANTS AND BARS by Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids