MEIGS COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
TOBACCO FREE CAMPUS POLICY
RATIONALE
The U.S. Surgeon General has concluded that tobacco consumption in any form is detrimental to
health because of its negative effects on the human body. Tobacco smoke is a toxic air contaminant,
and long term exposure causes premature death and disease in infants and children. Nonsmokers
exposed to secondhand smoke are at risk for developing both acute and chronic diseases, such as
ear infections, asthma attacks, decreased lung function, heart disease, and lung cancer. It is
especially hazardous to elderly individuals and those with impaired respiratory function and
cardiovascular disease. Used cigarettes and that are disposed of on the ground pose a pollutive
threat to environmental health, diminish the aesthetic value of outdoor spaces, pose a risk of
handling or ingestion by toddlers, and require additional maintenance efforts.
The Meigs County Health Department Mission states its duty as the following: “Protecting the
public’s health by working to assure availability of, and access to quality health care services;
promoting individual and community responsibility for the prevention of disease, injury, and
disability, by providing preventive health care, education and environmental safety, to all members
of the community.” It upholds the Health Department’s goal of protecting community health by
discouraging smoking and tobacco use in any form, both on the individual level and in public areas
where secondhand smoke can negatively affect nonsmokers.
DEFINITIONS
“Smoking” is defined as inhaling, exhaling, burning, or carrying any lighted or heated cigar,
cigarette, hookah, pipe, or any other synthetic or natural plant product intended for inhalation in
any form. It also includes inhalation of any electronically powered device that creates an aerosol or
vapor to ingest tobacco, nicotine, or a plant product in any form.
“Tobacco products” are defined as any product manufactured or constructed to contain tobacco or
nicotine, including but not limited to cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, snuff, chewing tobacco,
dipping tobacco, bidis, snus, dissolvable tobacco products, and electronic cigarettes. Electronic
cigarettes, an alternative to cigarettes that involve inhaling vaporized liquid nicotine, contain
carcinogens and toxic chemicals and present similar risks to human health as cigarettes. Allowing
their use in public places where tobacco smoking is prohibited creates confusion and thus
difficulties in enforcing smoking regulations. Not included in this definition is any product
approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to be sold as a medical product for the purpose
of tobacco cessation.
PURPOSE
The smoking of tobacco, marijuana, electronic cigarettes, or hookahs are forms of air pollution, and
they are both a danger to public health and a public nuisance. The most effective way to protect the
population from the harmful effects of exposure to secondhand smoke is through implementation
of smoke-free environments. The Health Department claims a duty to the public to safeguard
community health from preventable diseases and afflictions.
Therefore, it is the intent of the Meigs County Health Department to enact this Tobacco Free Policy
in order to protect public health and wellness by prohibiting smoking and consumption of any
tobacco or plant product in any form on the campus of the Health Department. This includes areas
where nonsmokers may be exposed to secondhand smoke, guaranteeing the right of nonsmokers to
breathe smoke-free air, and thus recognizing the priority of breathing smoke-free air over the
desire to smoke. This policy shall discourage the behavior of smoking around non-tobacco users,
reduce the potential of associating tobacco use with a healthy lifestyle, and promote a healthy
environment that is free of tobacco-related litter in and around the campus of the Health
Department.
PROHIBITION
The use of tobacco by employees, staff, and visitors is prohibited within all of the following places in
and around the Meigs County Health Department:
a. **Within ___ feet of entrances and exits, operable windows, and ventilation systems to
prevent smoke from entering smoke-free facilities.
b. **Within ___feet from the entrance of the building
c. **Etc. _______
The use of tobacco by employees, staff, and visitors will be constricted to a defined outdoor area
located a specified distance from the Health Department, recognized as: **location to be decided
upon
Those using tobacco products are required to dispose of any refuse in the defined cigarette waste
receptacle.
**WILL BE MODIFIED
ENFORCEMENT
The Meigs County Health Department shall publicize this tobacco-free campus policy through
advertising materials, promotional materials, and on their website. Appropriate signs, such as “no
smoking” or “tobacco-free,” will be posted and maintained in the specified areas throughout the
campus. Employees, staff, community members, and employees upon application for employment
will be actively informed of the policy. Staff of the various areas protected under this policy should
make periodic observations of their facilities in order to monitor compliance with the policy. Staff
members are authorized to enforce this policy by asking those violating it to discontinue tobacco
use or vacate the area to continue use. Any citizen who wishes to file a complaint with this policy
may initiate enforcement with the Meigs County Health Department.
This policy is effective immediately upon the date of adoption, June __, 2015.