Smokers at Moorpark College face an uncertain future. While the status quo as it exists today may seem sustainable, the reality is a world where smoking is quickly becoming outlawed.

Following the 2007 anti-smoking ordinance passed by the Moorpark City Council, which prohibited smoking within 20 feet of any public entrance/exit or open window, the wave of vitriol towards smokers has steadily increased. Smoking allowed only in parking lots, as is the current situation at both Moorpark and Oxnard colleges, is on borrowed time.

Word has been circulating on campus about a potential smoking ban. The process of instituting any sort of modified smoking policy will be a long one and students shouldn’t expect to come to school next semester and find Moorpark College a non-smoking campus. Even so, the future is clear and it’s only a matter of time before a potential ban becomes a reality.

According to Sharon L. Manakas, Moorpark College health services coordinator, several complaints have been received about smoking near the ACCESS and child development buildings.

Children should be protected from the dangers of secondhand smoke. The problem with designating all parking lots as smoking areas is that anyone entering or exiting the campus now has a reasonable chance of having to walk through a haze of cigarette smoke, regardless of where they are trying to go. Rather than have designated smoking areas away from heavily trafficked walkways, the powers that be chose to designate all parking areas as smoking acceptable. This leads to smokers darting in and out of traffic, a danger to everyone regardless of preference.

The reality is that once Moorpark College becomes a non-smoking campus, an inevitability no matter how preliminary the process may be, Oxnard College and Ventura College will not be far behind. Smokers throughout the district must face the possibility of having their cars be the only smoking areas left on campus. This may be fine for those students fortunate enough to have classes near easily accessible parking lots, but if any sort of trek is required, the 15 minutes allotted between classes may not cut it. Combined with the increasingly widespread smoking restrictions enacted on the city level, smokers have fewer and fewer options available.

Smoking is more than a hobby, it’s an addiction. For many young people, who are new to the experience of college and growing independence, it represents an easily-fulfilled form of rebellion against authority. Young smokers may feel the forces behind any potential ban are incapable of understanding their positions, but that is not the case.

“I understand the addiction process,” said Manakas. “But on the other hand, I’ve had a lot of students who try to quit.”

In a world where the opportunity to smoke freely may become a rare gift, smokers in the Ventura County Community College district have more opportunities for change than most. The Ventura College student health center offers one-on-one counseling, literature and nicotine replacement products to help students who want to quit. The Moorpark College health center offers similar resources. More information about these programs may be found on the respective college’s websites.