Editor, Daily Nexus:

I am writing in response to Constantine Economides’ opinion piece on banning the on-campus sale of cigarettes (Daily Nexus, “Leg Council May as Well Ban ‘Bad’ Food,” Nov. 21). Economides has good intentions in defending students’ rights, but in defending the minority of smokers on this campus, he ignores the majority. It is false for Economides to say that non-smokers are not affected by the on-campus sale of cigarettes. He has overlooked the issue of second-hand smoke. Cigarette smoke is not only smelly and annoying, it is also a health hazard. The availability of cigarettes on campus does make a difference to non-smokers: It is the difference between smelling the ocean breeze or smelling whiffs of nicotine. It is the difference between having a cleaner campus or having one riddled with cigarette butts. A person’s decision to smoke affects his fellow students and the environment. I’m not condemning smokers, as they have the right to do as they wish with their bodies, but I am asking them to consider others’ health as well as their own. All students on this campus were given the opportunity to vote on this issue. Let’s respect the vote and each other’s right to breathe easily.

VANESSA ZIMMER