Students Protest Smoke-free Campus Policy 校園全面禁菸 教部發函2月底前撤吸菸區

Amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act passed the third reading in January. Under the amendments, smoking is banned on all university and college campuses. The Ministry of Education notified schools that they had one month to remove campus smoking zones. On March 7, student groups gathered outside the ministry to say they need at least half a year's time.

A protest organized by the National Students' Union of Taiwan took place outside the Ministry of Education on March 7. Amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act banning smoking on all university and college campuses passed the third reading in January. At the beginning of February, the MOE notified junior colleges that they had one month to remove campus smoking zones. The students thought that was too little time.

Liu Yao-wei, Chairperson, National Students' Union of Taiwan: “It's very difficult to remove smoking zones or amend school regulations in just 20 days. It's also difficult to guarantee that student representatives have input over these amendments or removals.”

Student groups claimed raising the legal age for smoking and removing smoking zones would force smokers to go underground or smoke off campus. They said it's hard to control where smoke goes and this would result in unnecessary conflicts between smokers and non-smokers. There are reports that schools will be able to penalize students and teachers that smoke. The protesters demanded a buffer period of at least six months to effectuate the changes.

Lin Chia-su, Section Director, Department of Planning, MOE: “Our position is to protect the health of students and teachers. We hope that we can achieve smoke-free campuses and environments without tobacco hazards as quickly as possible.”

Huang Cheng-ming, Chair, Nat'l Alliance of Presidents of Parents Associations: “If amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act have been announced and campuses have become smoke-free environments, the maximum buffer period should be one to two months.”

Student groups say that although banning smoking on campuses is to protect the health of students, there was little consideration over complementary measures before the policy is enacted and the implementation period.

學生團體「台灣學生聯合會」上午集結教育部前陳情，認為菸害防制法修正條文，1月三讀通過，未來各大專院校全面禁菸，2月初教育部緊急發函給各大專院校，要求1個月內完成相關配套太過倉促。

台學聯理事長劉曜維表示：「短短20天的時間內要去做移除吸菸區，或者是說作為校內法規的修正其實是非常之困難，而且這樣的情況之下也難保說，到底學校這樣的修正或這樣的移除，是否有經過學生代表的一些研議。」

學生團體認為，為了提高吸菸年齡撤除吸菸區，反而會讓校園的吸菸者改為吸菸地下化，或在校外抽菸，加上菸味容易四散，無法有效管理，反而會引起吸菸者和非吸菸者不必要的衝突。傳出部分校規更規定，違法吸菸的學生或老師學校可以進行開罰。希望教育部能多給校園實施禁菸至少半年的緩衝期。

教育部綜合規劃司科長林珈夙表示：「基於我們維護我們師生健康的這個立場呢，我們是希望說未來能夠朝向能夠無菸校園的這一個，沒有菸害的環境，能夠盡速地來落實推動。」

全國家長會長聯盟理事長黃正銘表示：「如果菸害防制法公告就是校園已經成為禁菸的環境的話，學校裡面的緩衝期最多，應該是1至2個月就可以完成了。」

學生團體表示，雖然校園全面禁菸是為了維護學生健康，不過政策上路前的配套措施和實施時間都得一併考量，才不會讓各大專院校無所適從。