Tri-Cities college students, educators will be getting a boost to kick this habit

Columbia Basin College is poised to join more than a dozen colleges across the state in clamping down on nicotine products.

College officials declared they would make cigarettes, chewing tobacco and e-cigarettes off limits at the Pasco and Richland campuses after receiving about $20,000 from the Truth Initiative.

The initiative is a nonprofit aimed at stopping youth tobacco use. Its tobacco-free college program partnered with CVS Health to award a total of $1.8 million to 154 colleges and universities. The money is aimed at preventing young people from using nicotine products and to help people quit.

The college is putting together a task force, which will create the policy, along with developing a treatment program for people using nicotine products. Two student leaders are putting together efforts to educate their peers.

The grant runs through June 2020 and will help pay for developing those educational programs. While the college made the announcement Friday, there is no date included for when the new policy would go into effect.

Nicotine bans becoming common

Administrators see a growing list of colleges and universities across the state that are banning cigarettes, e-cigarettes and marijuana, and believe it is a trend they should be part of, said Ann Sullivan, the college’s project lead for the grant.

“We are truly excited to make CBC a safe, healthy and productive environment,” college President Rebekah Woods said. “The health benefits of reducing secondhand smoke exposure are extensive. Plus, this will help our students prepare for the workforce where smoke-free policies are already the norm.”

The initiative started turning to college campuses in 2015 as another place to reach students during the period of time when they’re most likely to start smoking or vaping. Nearly all smokers start before they turn 26, making college campuses a good place to reach more people, college officials said.

Initiative leaders are looking at stopping a growing trend of young people using e-cigarettes. People who vape are four times more likely to begin smoking cigarettes, according to the initiative.

“Our goal is to make campus environments healthier places to live, work and learn,” said Robin Koval, the initiative’s CEO and president.