Students and visitors will no longer have to walk through a haze of secondhand smoke to get to ACCESS, Nursing Sciences and the Child Development Center, after a new policy is implemented next semester.

Starting in the spring, three parking lots will become smoke-free areas following a decision by Moorpark College President Dr. Pam Eddinger.

The non-smoking lots include the handicap parking lot immediately north of the Health Sciences and the LMC buildings, the parking lot in front of the EATM building, and the parking lot north of the Child Development Center.

ACCESS Director Sherry D’Attile said cigarettes could be dangerous for some students.

“Many disabled students who park in the handicapped parking lot outside of the LMC Building use oxygen tanks, and smoking near them could be hazardous to all,” said D’Attile.

The campus Safety and Wellness Committee, which proposed the change, cited rationale that included distances of less than 20 feet between parking lots and building entrances, adjoining platforms or sitting/standing areas where smoking is frequently observed, and areas used for pick-up or drop-off of children.

Signs stating that these lots are non-smoking lots will be put up in the spring. Violators will be asked to put out their cigarettes and leave. According to Moorpark College Police Lt. Greg Beckley, smoking in a non-smoking area is a citable offense and could warrant a ticket.

Currently all three VCCCD colleges are smoke-free. Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura were “smoking campuses” where smoking was permitted anywhere on the school, except classrooms. In 2005, Moorpark changed to only allow smoking in the parking lots at school. Oxnard converted in 2007, and Ventura in 2010.