The anti-smoking lobby seems to be getting stronger day by day. Following on the footsteps of the University of Oregon, the Oregon State University has decided to go smoke-free for the session starting fall 2012.

It needs to be pointed out that at this point of time an estimated 460 colleges and universities across the country are smoke-free or tobacco-free.

Talking about the new development, Chairperson of the Smoke-Free Task Force Review, Lisa Hoogesteger, informed that it was in the best interest of all to have a smoke-free environment in the university. The plan has been in the pipeline since the year 2008, and it will finally be implemented after the university senate decided to go ahead with OSU being a smoke-free campus.

She went on to say that smoking had become a public health issue as it not only affected the smokers, but even those around them. The best example can be taken from scientific proofs to show that second hand smoke was the most harmful.

According to the data release by the Task Force, 3% of OSU students smoked on a daily basis, while 11% smoked occasionally. Apart from them, 16% had smoked at a point of time in their life.

Hoogesteger concluded by saying that second hand smoke aggravated the condition of people suffering from respiratory illnesses.