Tobacco-Free Campus Smoking Policy
Special Message to the UIW Community
The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) is committed to providing a safe, healthful working and learning environment for students, faculty and staff. As part of that commitment, the University will adopt a Smoke and Tobacco Free policy effective August 1, 2018 on all UIW U.S. property that is owned, leased, occupied or controlled by the University.
The policy will prohibit the use of any smoking or tobacco products including but not limited to cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, snuff, chewing tobacco, electronic cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and hookahs but not including cessation products containing nicotine specifically approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in treating nicotine or tobacco dependence.
According to a report by the Surgeon General, tobacco is the leading cause of preventable disability, disease and death in the U.S. Worldwide, tobacco use causes nearly 6 million deaths per year, and current trends show that tobacco use will cause more than 8 million deaths annually by 2030 according to the World Health Organization’s WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2011.
This policy applies to all employees, students, university affiliates, visitors and contractors.
On November 27, 2012, the UIW Executive Council approved a previous policy prohibiting smoking within buildings and outdoor sports facilities on the University campuses. Smoking was further prohibited within 20 feet of buildings, in University owned or leased vehicles or on the campuses of Incarnate Word High School or St. Anthony Catholic High School. Some smoking areas were designated.
The University regularly reviews policies to ensure they are meeting the needs of the community. Even after the last policy was enacted, the administration continued to hear concerns from the community regarding the smoking policy on campus. There is no risk-free level of tobacco smoke or secondhand smoke according to the Surgeon General’s Report on The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke (PDF). Even the occasional use of tobacco has been associated with cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases.