Central Oregonian

Tobacco-free campus decision should be made very carefully

Between now and April 24, the next time the Crook County Court meets, they will weigh testimony from both sides of the controversial tobacco-free campus policy.

When they meet, they will announce their decision. That decision is final. They will take no public input at that meeting.

We therefore urge the commissioners to consider the policy carefully. They should ask themselves if the state’s Smoke-free Workplace Law, which creates a 10-foot barrier from building doors and windows, does enough for citizen health. They should weigh the data from the tobacco-free campus survey that favors the policy and decide if it outweighs the public testimony against the policy.

The commissioners should also consider whether its approval will actually change citizen behavior. Because they are considering a policy and not a law, the County can only enforce it by educational means.

Lastly, we encourage residents who have concerns, but missed the public hearing on this policy, to pay one of your commissioners a visit. Just because they are not taking any more testimony in a public meeting session, doesn’t mean they are ignoring the public altogether. County Judge Mike McCabe has often advertised his open-door policy. Feel free to take him up on it.

Hopefully, when the County decides on the proposed policy, they will have made as informed of a decision as possible.