JurnalPost.com - Campus canteens should be comfortable places for students to eat, rest, and chat after attending lectures. However, this comfort is often disrupted by cigarette smoke from visitors who smoke without regard for those around them. For non-smoking students, this situation is certainly uncomfortable, especially when they are trying to enjoy a meal.
The issue of smoking in canteens is not merely a matter of differing habits between smokers and non-smokers. It involves concerns regarding health, hygiene, and the right of every student to use campus facilities without being exposed to secondhand smoke.
As an educational environment, a campus should set an example in creating healthy public spaces. The implementation of Smoke-Free Areas (KTR) has a clear legal basis through Law Number 17 of 2023 concerning Health and Government Regulation Number 28 of 2024, which governs its execution.
Therefore, banning smoking in campus canteens is not an excessive restriction of personal freedom, but rather an effort to protect the health and comfort of the entire campus community.
The Threat of Cigarette Smoke to Non-Smoking Students
One of the main reasons why campus canteens need to be free from cigarette smoke is the risk of secondhand smoke exposure for non-smokers. One does not have to be an active smoker to experience the adverse effects of cigarette smoke.
Students sitting near someone who is smoking are still at risk of inhaling the smoke. Even canteens with open or semi-open concepts do not always guarantee that cigarette smoke will dissipate immediately without bothering other visitors.
This issue is not just a concern. The report Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) Indonesia 2021, published by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2024, shows the high level of secondhand smoke exposure in public spaces.
According to the report, 74.2 percent of adults who visited dining establishments were exposed to other people's cigarette smoke. Meanwhile, the exposure rate in workplaces reached 44.8 percent.
This data shows that dining areas remain one of the locations with high levels of secondhand smoke exposure. This condition should be a concern for canteen management, including those within university environments.
Students come to the canteen to fulfill their need to eat and rest, not to inhale cigarette smoke that can endanger their health.
Canteen Comfort and Hygiene Must Also Be Maintained
Beyond health issues, the habit of smoking in canteens can reduce visitor comfort. The pungent smell of cigarette smoke can disturb students while they are enjoying their meals or chatting with friends.
Not everyone has the same tolerance for the smell of cigarettes. Some students may feel very disturbed, while others are forced to move to different locations because they do not want to be near smokers.
This condition becomes unfair when non-smoking students are the ones who have to give way to find more comfortable air.
Another issue is the cleanliness of the canteen environment. Cigarette butts, ash, and litter left behind carelessly can make the dining area look dirty and poorly maintained.
In fact, the canteen is a shared facility. Its cleanliness is the responsibility of all parties, including management, vendors, and visiting students.
Getting into the habit of not smoking in the canteen is a simple form of care for the comfort of others.
Smoke-Free Area Regulations Need to Be Applied Consistently
The implementation of smoke-free areas in educational environments is actually not new. The government has designated teaching and learning process locations as one of the smoke-free areas.
These provisions are now regulated in Government Regulation Number 28 of 2024, specifically Article 443, which contains provisions regarding smoke-free areas.
One of the higher education institutions that has a policy regarding this issue is the State Islamic University (UIN) Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung.
Through Rector Regulation Number 070/Un.05/II.2/KP.07.6/07/2024, the university established guidelines for the implementation of smoke-free areas within the campus environment.
The policy is based on the importance of creating a clean and healthy educational environment to support learning, research, and community service activities.
This step shows that higher education institutions play an important role in building awareness regarding the dangers of secondhand smoke exposure.
However, the existence of regulations is not enough. The campus also needs to ensure that the policy is truly applied in daily life.
Installing no-smoking signs, conveying appeals to canteen visitors, and consistent supervision can be initial steps to increase compliance.
Without supervision, smoke-free area rules risk becoming just words posted on a wall, ignored by visitors.
The Rights of Smokers and Non-Smokers Must Be Balanced Fairly
Some people might argue that students who smoke also have the right to use campus facilities. This opinion is understandable because the canteen is indeed intended for all students, regardless of their individual habits.
However, the right to use public facilities does not mean that someone is free to engage in activities that can disturb the health and comfort of others.
Students who smoke still have the right to eat, rest, and gather in the canteen. However, smoking activities must follow the rules that apply within the campus environment.
If the smoke-free area provisions allow for the provision of a special smoking area, the location must meet the applicable requirements and not interfere with other students' activities.
Thus, the policy implemented is not intended to discriminate against smokers, but to regulate the use of shared spaces to be more orderly.
Mutual respect is the key. Smokers need to understand that not everyone is comfortable inhaling cigarette smoke, while campus management must be able to apply policies fairly and consistently.
A Smoke-Free Canteen Is a Shared Responsibility
Creating a campus canteen that is free from cigarette smoke is not just the responsibility of the university. Students also have an important role in building healthier habits and respecting fellow users of campus facilities.
The awareness not to smoke in dining areas is a form of simple social responsibility, but it has great benefits for the surrounding environment.
The campus should not only be a place for students to acquire academic knowledge, but also a space to build character, discipline, and concern for others.
Ultimately, the smoking ban in the canteen is not a question of who has more rights between smokers and non-smokers. The issue is how all students can enjoy campus facilities safely, cleanly, and comfortably.
A smoke-free canteen will provide equal opportunities for every student to eat, rest, and socialize without feeling disturbed.
Because clean air in the campus environment is not a privilege enjoyed by only a few, but a shared right that needs to be maintained and respected.
References
World Health Organization (WHO) Indonesia. (2024). Ministry of Health and WHO Publish Global Adult Tobacco Survey Indonesia 2021 Report.
Republic of Indonesia. (2023). Law Number 17 of 2023 concerning Health.
Republic of Indonesia. (2024). Government Regulation Number 28 of 2024 concerning Implementing Regulations of Law Number 17 of 2023 concerning Health.
UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung. (2024). Guidelines for the Implementation of Smoke-Free Areas in the UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung Environment.
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