SC colleges look at on-campus tobacco bans

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Campus-wide bans against smokers could spread to several South Carolina universities.

The State newspaper of Columbia reports (http://bit.ly/110zJ7i) that at least 10 South Carolina colleges have gone tobacco free and at least five others are considering it in the country’s fifth-largest tobacco-growing state.

University of South Carolina President Harris Pastides expects to make a decision this summer after a campus task force recommended a tobacco ban. The former dean at USC’s School of Public Health says he’s leaning toward a tobacco-free campus.

A tobacco ban would cover nearly 40,000 students, faculty and staff at the Columbia university as well as fans tailgating in school-owned parking areas around the football stadium.

Clemson University, Furman University, Benedict College, College of Charleston and Winthrop University are also weighing campus-wide bans.

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Information from: The State, http://www.thestate.com