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Students FirstTo realize a university campus without tobacco
7 January 2019
To the president of each university
General incorporated association Japan Society for Tobacco Control
Sakuta Manabu, Chairperson

Introduction
To host the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020, Japan revised the Health Promotion Act
to enforce penalties against passive smoking according to Agreement 1 of the World
Health Organization (WHO) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).2) Inaddition, under the WHO Tobacco Control Framework Convention3), member countries
have enforced no smoking regulations indoors and on premises for more than 10 years.
In addition, the Tokyo metropolitan government will enforce its regulations toprevent passive smoking when hosting the Olympics, regulations which include morestrict rules than the national revised Health Promotion Act.4) Furthermore, othermunicipalities and prefectures throughout the country are considering or have already
decided to establish passive smoking prevention regulations that are more strict than
the national revised Health Promotion Act.
According to the revised Health Promotion Act; schools, hospitals and administrative
institutions will be the first facilities that must be completely smoke free indoors, by 1July 20195). They may create an outdoor smoking area, as long as it is "in a place
where necessary measures were taken to prevent passive smoking" and isfundamentally for "smoking cessation on the premises"2).
Recently, many university stakeholders have received inquiries about measures toprevent passive smoking. As a reference to comply with laws and regulations and toprotect the health of non-smokers, the Japan Society for Tobacco Control hassummarized types of measures should be implemented. If necessary, a consultant fromthe society is available to visit your university, so please do not hesitate to consult us.
[Sources · References]1) http://www.olympic.org/news/ioc-and-who-strengthen-partnership/94731
2) https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/0000189195.html
3) https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/gaiko/who/fctc.html
4) http://www.fukushihoken.metro.tokyo.jp/kensui/tokyo/kangaekata_public.html
5) https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO39114930Y8A211C1CR8000/«Points for converting to a non-smoking university campus»
1. Hold orientation workshops shortly after student enter the university(to inform of the harms of passive smoking).
Many university students begin smoking soon after university entrance due to theinfluence of peers who smoke and the stresses of a student lifestyle. Before students
become addicted to nicotine, it is important to provide an opportunity for them to thinkcarefully about the risks of smoking.
Not only students, but also faculty and staff might smoke tobacco. They too should
understand not only the contents of laws that regulate active smoking but also theharms passive smoking, which governments are now more strictly regulating.
2. Establish a countermeasure committee within the university
A working group to promote no smoking policies should be organized under thesupervision of the university president. Committee members should be staff who are
non-smokers and who do not have interests in tobacco companies. However, students
and staff who smoke tobacco should be welcomed to submit opinions to the committee.
In general, it would be good to solicit opinions from throughout the university
community, but committee recommendations should be based on scientific knowledge
about the harms of passive smoking.
3. It is not an obligation to install an outdoor smoking area
As mentioned above, the university campus is generally "non-smoking on the premises".
Under the current amendment to the law, installation of an outdoor smoking area ispermitted, but conditional “on necessary measures that prevent passive smoking inthat area”. In general, there is no obligation to install an outdoor smoking area, and if
the university can not prevent passive smoking, then such an area is not allowed.
It is often said that people have "smoking rights", but smoking during working hours
on the property of the employer is not a right, somewhat analogous to not having rights
to drink alcohol during working hours on the property of the employer.
4. Teach students not smoke as part of a healthy lifestyle (and prohibit

sales of tobacco on the university campus)
Because incoming university students are almost 20 years old, it is time for them tolearn about the risks of tobacco use as an adult. One’s university entrance is anappropriate time to teach about the addictive properties of nicotine and the harmful
effects of active smoking and passive smoking, as well as to rebut the glamorous but
inaccurate tobacco promotions that are often targeted towards young people. The goalof this teaching should be to foster long-lasting healthy lifestyles as citizens begin theiradult lives.
The most basic step to teach about the harms of tobacco is not to sell the harmful
products on campus, especially in vending machines, but also in convenience stores.
Even though students are legally allowed to purchase tobacco at the age of 20 years,
universities should not condone its use by selling tobacco products.
5. Consider the following points when creating an outdoor smoking area
Since the university is a place of education, including health education, it shouldhave not just "no smoking indoors" but "no smoking the premises". Therefore,
installing an outdoor smoking area is not recommended, although it is permitted undercertain conditions. These conditions must prevent passive smoke from enteringbuildings and from approaching pedestrians. But winds and unpredictable air flows
make it impossible to completely isolate passive smoke to fully satisfy the intent of thelaw. Furthermore, closing existing outdoor smoking areas on campus shows acommitment to a healthy student body and is consistent with a science-basededucation.
1) Reduce the number of indoor and outdoor smoking areas as much as possible
As smoking is increasingly prohibited on the premises, the university can give staffand students opportunities to think about quitting smoking.
2) Isolate smoking as much as possible away from buildings
Tobacco smoke should be at least 10 m away from entrances of the building,windows and air intake ducts to prevent it from drifting indoors. Without thiscondition, an outdoor smoking area may not be installed. In addition to making
the smoking area a separated area, signboards must guide the way to the smoking
area.
3) Avoid places with pedestrian traffic
To avoid passive smoking for pedestrians, smoking areas may not be installed inplaces near pedestrian traffic.
4) Avoid installing prefabricated items
Erecting prefabricated smoking rooms is not recommended because even such
simple structures would result in indoor smoking and secondary smoke.
5) Post bulletins to recommend smoking cessation
To promote smoking cessation, this Society recommends regularly posted bulletinsto promote smoking cessation in smoking areas with advice approved by thepresident’s office.
6) Prevent exposure of passive smoke to the administrative staff
When managing smoking areas (by maintenance and cleaning), the university
must use comprehensive rules that prevent the administrative staff from being
exposed to passive smoke.
6. Devising ways to comply with laws
Violation of the revised Health Promotion Act would result in fines of 500,000 yen forfacility managers and 50,000 yen for smokers. Facility managers must always checkand comply with laws, as well as provide guidance and recommendations for improving
regulations:
1) Undertake periodic patrols and pick up cigarette butts (in toilets, in changing
rooms, on verandas, around emergency exits, et cetera).
2) Where violation of the regulations is likely to occur, post signs that state thatsmoking is prohibited.
3) When violation occurs, provide warnings and guidance to the transgressor, as well
as recommendations for outpatient treatment of smoking cessation, and then consider
penalties.
4) Evaluate and explain the current situation to the committee, and then consider
improvement measures (like shrinking / closing smoking areas).
5) Accept a no smoking pledge when students, faculty and staff start their educationor employment at the university. (This policy has already been introduced at someuniversities.)
After considering the aforementioned points on regulating smoking on university
campuses, why has it been so difficult to quit smoking thus far?
It is because tobacco has a stronger dependency than cannabis and stimulants:
Nutt D et al., Development of a rational scale to assess the harm of drugs of potential
misuse. Lancet, 369: 1047-53, 2007https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17382831
As with measures against acute alcohol poisoning, where universities have
implemented multifaceted measures like education at freshmen orientation andcollaboration with neighboring restaurants, universities need to implement similar
measures against tobacco. Thank you for your consideration.