“I love having a cigarette with a beer”

University of Colorado regent Michael Carrigan recently proposed the banning of all smoking on school property across the state — which amounts to nearly 2,000 acres.

“The university has an opportunity to be a leader in 21st-century health care, and I’m confident that 10 years from now, most campuses will have a smoking ban in effect,” Carrigan said.

I agree with Carrigan that most schools probably have smoking bans in ten years – perhaps most towns in America will as well — but it has nothing to do with schools leading us into 21st century health care. (Does that mean socialism, I’m not sure.) And it has everything to do with adults being treated as children.

I had that opportunity to listen to Carrigan on a local Denver radio show throw out all kinds of ridiculous statistics about smoking bans dramatically bringing down heart attack rates. Naturally, his contentions went unchallenged.

“We don’t want tobacco use and addiction promoted on our campus …” Carrigan said to the CBS affiliate in town.

Actually, by allowing students, most of them still free adults, to make those choices for themselves, you’re promoting individual responsibility and choice. When you promote coerced 21st-century health care models, you promote the opposite.

Though perhaps there is still some hope for our youth.

“I love having a cigarette with a beer or with a coffee, in between class or when I’m reading,” sophomore Jonathon Gold said. “If you can go in a store and buy them legally, you should be able to smoke in a public place.”

Amen