College of the Redwoods Goes Smoke Free

College of the redwoods no smokingFrom College of the Redwoods:

During the January 10th Board of Trustees meeting, the Trustees approved a new policy designating the Redwoods Community College District as a smoke and tobacco-free environment.  The policy will take effect during January 2017.

The Trustees approved the new policy recognizing that the College has an obligation to create a healthy environment for current and future employees and students.  Trustee Bruce Emad said that “the passage of the policy culminates the efforts of our past and present Trustees to create a healthy environment for our staff and students to pursue their work and educational goals.  This policy aligns our institution of higher learning with the best science available.”

The policy includes the prohibition of smoking of cigarettes, pipes, cigars, and other tobacco products as well as any other substance.  The use of smokeless tobacco products (e.g., chewing tobacco, snus, snuff, etc.) and the use of electronic smoking devices (e.g., e-cigarettes) are also prohibited.  The use of such products are prohibited on all District owned or controlled properties, and at any District events (athletic events, etc.)

“We are truly excited to make College of the Redwoods a safe, healthy and productive environment,” said CR Interim President Keith Snow-Flamer. “The health benefits of reducing secondhand smoke exposure are invaluable and could also help students prepare for the workforce, where smoke-free policies are already the norm.”

CR is also one of only five community colleges in California that will receive funds and technical support from the Truth Initiative, the nation’s largest non-profit public health organization dedicated to making tobacco use a thing of the past. Through five rounds of grants, the Truth Initiative has partnered with 88 community colleges and hopes to reach more than 1 million community college students and 74,000 faculty/staff across 30 states.

“With 99 percent of smokers starting before age 27, college campuses are critical platforms for preventing young adults from starting tobacco use, aiding those current tobacco users in quitting and reducing exposure to secondhand smoke for all,” said Robin Koval, CEO and President of Truth Initiative. “We are looking forward to supporting CR’s efforts to make smoking and tobacco use a thing of the past,” she added.

Today, 40 million Americans still smoke – including over 3 million in California, and tobacco use remains the number-one cause of preventable death in this country. Research also shows that there are dire health consequences for non-smokers too. Secondhand smoke exposure causes cancer and cardiovascular disease among other secondhand smoke diseases, and is responsible for more than 41,000 deaths among non-smoking adults in the U.S.

Community colleges in the U.S. serve almost half -45 percent- of the undergraduate student population. With an enrollment of more than 12 million, community colleges serve as an entryway to higher education for many students of color, low-income and first generation college degree earners.

“The grant from the Truth Initiative has set us up for success and I’m positive we can achieve our goals” said President of the Board of Trustees, Sally Biggin.  “These funds will help us move forward quickly to ensure everyone can breathe fresh air at our college’s locations.”

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Crazy Dog
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Crazy Dog
7 years ago

Idiotic new laws, thank you Kim though for the in-depth report

Taurus Balzhoff
Guest
Taurus Balzhoff
7 years ago

Smoking pot also makes you stupid and paranoid.

Marijuana Users Risk Schizophrenia, But the Drug Helps Pain

by Maggie Fox

Marijuana can help ease chronic pain but it can also raise the risk of severe mental illness, including schizophrenia, a comprehensive new report found.

A team of top experts looked at all the studies that have been done on the use of cannabis — marijuana and products made from marijuana — and its impact on health.
Image: Cannabis plants grow in a greenhouse
Cannabis plants grow in the greenhouse at Vireo Health’s medical marijuana cultivation facility on Aug. 19, 2016 in Johnstown, New York. Drew Angerer / Getty Images, file

They can debunk some beliefs and raise a few warnings, but for the most part the committee appointed by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine said more study is needed.

The issue is important. Cannabis is legal for medical use in 28 states and Washington, D.C. and eight states plus D.C. have legalized the recreational use of marijuana and marijuana-derived products.

The report said 22.2 million Americans age 12 and older said they had used cannabis in the past month. Ninety percent say they use it recreationally.

The committee came to 100 conclusions about cannabis. Here’s some of what they found:
Benefits

“There is conclusive or substantial evidence that cannabis or cannabinoids are effective for the treatment of chronic pain in adults,” the team, led by Marie McCormick of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, wrote.
“There is moderate evidence that cannabis or cannabinoids are effective for improving short-term sleep outcomes in individuals with sleep disturbance associated with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic pain and multiple sclerosis.”
Lab-made cannabis pills can help spasms caused by multiple sclerosis.
Pills can also help prevent and ease nausea caused by chemotherapy.

Risks

Studies show cannabis use is likely to increase the risk of developing schizophrenia, other psychoses, and social anxiety disorders. It can also raise the risk of depression, studies have found.
Heavy marijuana users are more likely to report thoughts of suicide and heavy use of the drug can worsen symptoms of bipolar disease.
Learning, memory and attention are impaired after using cannabis and there’s some evidence that they are damaged even after people stop using it.
Studies have found some evidence cannabis use can raise the risk of unemployment, and users earn less than non-users.
It can impair driving.
Use may raise the risk of testicular cancer.
Smoking marijuana may trigger a heart attack.
It can worsen bronchitis and chronic cough.
Babies born to women who smoke marijuana while pregnant can weigh too little.

What cannabis doesn’t do

There’s evidence that smoking marijuana does not raise the risk for cancers caused by tobacco use, such as lung cancer and head and neck cancer.
“There is moderate evidence of no statistical association between cannabis use and … lung cancer (and) … head and neck cancers,” the report added. But there’s not much evidence about other cancers.
There’s also not enough evidence to show if cannabis can help amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease), Parkinson’s disease or Huntington’s disease.
There’s some evidence cannabis does not help dementia.
It’s not clear if smoking cannabis worsens asthma, emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Honeydew Bridge Chump
Guest
Honeydew Bridge Chump
7 years ago

Cannabis is bad.

When growers improperly use fungicide, miticide, and insecticides there is no telling what reaction people can have to smoking it.

I believe that residue of Forbid, Avid, Merit, and Daconyl are the reasons behind low IQ, poor hygiene, and heavy involvement in crime we see in weed users.

hmm
Guest
hmm
7 years ago

The risk of cannabis triggering schizophrenia (in those with a predisposition, it is not a risk to others) is the same as an extremely emotional event or severe stress.

Shak
Guest
Shak
7 years ago

Funny thing is, nicotine has been called the miracle drug for decades, & now public health is banning/over regulating/over taxing nicotine not sold by pharmaceutical smoking cessation companies.
The strangest part? Schizophrenia is one of miseries that smoking/nicotine suppresses.
Even stranger? One of the mkultra/monarch hypnosis triggers schizophrenia with a chosen trigger word.
The kids & even parents today are acting out, right on cue.

good riddance
Guest
good riddance
7 years ago

Good. I went by one of the smoking tent things one time and was disgusted. Despite the fact there is at least one receptacle for cigarette butts, there still were literally hundreds of butts on the ground up to a 30 foot radius outside of the designated area.
99% of smokers are inconsiderate slobs. The rest of us shouldn’t have to be subjected to your vice.

Shak
Guest
Shak
7 years ago
Reply to  good riddance

Where is the janitor?

Tired
Guest
Tired
7 years ago

I’m sure they have several security staff to enforce this new policy.

LOL

Shak
Guest
Shak
7 years ago
Reply to  Tired

Fines attract.

Weed guy
Guest
Weed guy
7 years ago

I’m for it. Ban smoking at HSU too. Walking by the designated smoking areas there is disgusting. I’m forced to inhale that crap. Tobacco sucks. Vaping is gross too. Weed doesn’t bother me, but don’t force people to inhale your second hand weed smoke either. For that matter people’s chimneys can pollute the whole neighborhood.

hmm
Guest
hmm
7 years ago
Reply to  Weed guy

I couldnt agree more. The idea of having smoking areas alone is absurd, but to have them in the place HSU does, is disgusting and rude. I dont mind smelling some of the flavored vapor juice or weed personally, but I think it is rude to make others smell you and wouldn’t want to subject people to it.i This includes perfumes.

Shak
Guest
Shak
7 years ago
Reply to  Weed guy

Perhaps banning of walking through other people’s personal designated zones would be a better policy.

Smoking Sucks!
Guest
Smoking Sucks!
7 years ago

About time they did this! Yay, CR! Thanks!

Yay
Guest
Yay
7 years ago

Let’s ban cars too. Breathing in those exhaust fumes are not only gross, but they cause cancer at a higher rate than second hand smoke. Let’s also ban the use of anything that is harmful or annoying.

Shak
Guest
Shak
7 years ago
Reply to  Yay

What do you think the parkletts (UN agenda 21/30) are doing? Plus the pay by the mile gas tax that will destroy rural living while lining the pockets of micromanagement planners who are building bicycle & walking paths. Trillions of tax dollars are being spent on these projects.
Also, take note of the alledgedly corrupt CDC’s new govt paid studies that say rural dwellers have 5x’s the rate of premature deaths, cancer, heart disease, and whatever else they came up with. Just the opposite from facts. This is for an agenda, but, the worst part of that agenda is that it won’t stop. Even after everyone is herded into stack & pack apts, they will not let people access the natural parks for hiking, recreation, picnics, exercise, due to “undisputable evidence that rural environments cause blablabla”.

Shak
Guest
Shak
7 years ago

Follow the money. http://truthinitiative.org/topics/our-work/grants-scholarships

States formed unconstitutional alliances.
“Known previously as American Legacy Foundation, we were established as part of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between major U.S. tobacco companies and 46 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and five territories.”

DHHS has gone completely “blue ribbon” aka UN.

Eureka, SF, Fort Bragg, Arcarta, and many other communities have signed “resolutions” with the UN that defines the term “humans”, and who disregard all individual unalienable rights in favor of boxed labels rights. Fyi. This is treason to the constitution that assures equal rights for all individuals, not just for favored groups.

You’ve been had North Coast.

Shak
Guest
Shak
7 years ago

‘Australian Liberal Democratic senator David Leyonhjelm has delivered a speech which stands up for the rights of one in five citizens who choose to smoke.

His speech titled, Thank you For Smoking, he praises nicotine fiends for their $8 billion a year contribution to the economy and says he did the maths: Last year smokers cost the health care system $320 million and another $150 million in bushfire control.’
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/an-australian-senator-has-just-thanked-smokers-for-their-8-billion-staggering-generosity-to-the-economy-2014-10

$8 billion.
We never hear about the totals do we.
The next time public health screams about loosing 300 million, be sure to ask them what the starting tally was.

Shak
Guest
Shak
7 years ago

“they fiddle the science. Twenty years ago, for example, the WHO’s findings on passive smoking were widely questioned; it was also noted that 40 per cent of the smokers that the organisation claimed had died ‘from smoking’ had actually exceeded average life-expectancy for their gender.”
https://poplaonline.com/2017/01/10/who-shock-smoking-isnt-so-bad-after-all/