Smokefree Colleges and Universities Continue to Grow in Popularity
No One Should Have to Risk Their Health for an Education or a Job!
“For a lot of campuses, they are not included in a local or statewide smoke-free workplace law despite the fact campuses are workplaces as well as institutions of higher learning,’ — Cynthia Hallett, President and CEO of the ANR Foundation.
Most local and state smokefree laws do not include college or university campuses, although some states do include state schools in their smokefree workplace laws. Therefore, there is a need to protect employees and students from exposure to secondhand smoke on college campuses, and to create a societal expectation that this living and working environment be entirely smokefree.
As of October 1, 2024, per our Smokefree and Tobacco-Free U.S. and Tribal Colleges and Universities list, there were at least 2,587 100% smokefree campus sites.
OF THESE 100% SMOKEFREE SITES:
2,167
are also 100% tobacco-free everywhere (includes non-combustible forms/smokeless)
637 explicitly include personal vehicles on campus in the policy protections.
2,259
also prohibit e-cigarette use everywhere
1,220
also prohibit hookah use everywhere
604
also prohibit smoking/vaping marijuana everywhere
SMOKEFREE VS TOBACCO-FREE POLICIES
One of the most common questions we receive from colleges and universities is the difference between a smokefree policy versus a tobacco-free policy. Please refer to the lists below for information that may help you with your decision.
In addition to the health benefits listed below, your policy may also be written to include restrictions on: hookah use, marijuana use, electronic cigarettes/vaping, tobacco sales on campus, tobacco industry sponsorship, and tobacco industry funding of academic research.
We provide both a Model Smokefree Campus Policy and a Model Tobacco-Free Campus Policy to help you.
Both ANR Foundation model policies contain these additional restrictions and both are excellent starting points!
Making Your Campus Smokefree…
Eliminates secondhand smoke exposure
Facilitates social norm change around smoking in ways that hurt other people
Helps prevent uptake and promote cessation
Making Your Campus Tobacco-Free…
Eliminates secondhand smoke exposure
Encompasses tobacco use, as well as exposure (eliminates use of smokeless tobacco such as chew, dip, snus)
Facilitates social norm change around smoking in ways that hurt other people
Helps prevent uptake and promote cessation
SMOKEFREE AND TOBACCO-FREE U.S. AND TRIBAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
Our list of smokefree and tobacco-free colleges and universities is updated every quarter!
STEPS FOR ENACTING A SMOKEFREE COLLEGE CAMPUS POLICY
In addition to our model policies, we provide steps to help guide you in making your campus smokefree.
SMOKEFREE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES: TIPS FOR GOING SMOKEFREE
Our smokefree campus checklist guides you quickly through the process.
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES LIST CRITERIA
Are you curious why your campus isn’t on our list?
Check out our criteria for inclusion.
If you think your campus belongs on our list after reading it, please let us know!
U.S. COLLEGE CAMPUS TOBACCO POLICIES DATABASE©
The College Campus Tobacco Policies Database© is a proprietary policy surveillance tool created by the ANR Foundation for the systematic collection and analysis of current policies governing smokefree and tobacco-free college campuses within the continental United States and territories, including adjacent American Indian and Alaska Native sovereign tribal entities. It was designed to be a comprehensive collection of policy data for the analysis of national trends, in order to evaluate the impact of policy provisions on health and/or tobacco use trends and help to strategically identify campuses without strong policies that might benefit from proactive outreach and technical assistance to become 100% smokefree and tobacco-free.
ANR FOUNDATION COLLEGE CAMPUS TOBACCO POLICIES DATABASE© BIBLIOGRAPHY
A partial bibliography of publication citing or utilizing information from this database.