UPEI going completely smoke free by Sept. 1
New policy bans cigarettes, e-cigarettes, water pipes, tobacco advertising and more
Back to school means no smoking whatsoever at the University of Prince Edward Island.
UPEI is promoting a smoke-free campus by introducing a new tobacco use policy effective Sept. 1.
The policy bans the use of cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, water pipes, cigars and tobacco in any form on campus. It also bans the advertising, promotion, sale and distribution of tobacco. Exceptions will be made for Indigenous cultural ceremonies.
"It's looking at it from a larger picture and saying, OK, if you don't want to be exposed to tobacco products, we're going to help make sure that is the case, and that'll help everyone in the larger scheme of things on a health level," explained UPEI communications officer Dana Kenny.
Kenny said enforcement won't be heavy handed. People caught smoking will be informed of the policy and asked to stop.
UPEI joins Holland College, Acadia, Saint Mary's, Dalhousie, Memorial and the Marine Institute as schools that have introduced smoke-free policies in Atlantic Canada.
The new tobacco use policy will be reviewed in 2022.
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