Universities in the Texas A&M system are getting ready for a big change on campus: Vaping and e-cigarettes will soon be banned.
A&M-Corpus Christi students had a lot to say about the change.
"All my friends vape,” said student Enrique Rodriguez. “Like, all of them."
But vaping on campus will soon be a thing of the past. The ban announced yesterday also applies to campus student housing. The question now is, will the message get across?
"I mean, students are gonna do what they're gonna do,” said student Clara Brown. “It's the same thing as underaged drinking or texting and driving; people are gonna do it."
While vaping and e-cigarettes are completely banned on campus, cigarettes still are allowed at designated areas.
"Cigarettes are killing people every day,” Rodriguez said. “What's the difference?"
While the A&M University system says they "do not want to take any unnecessary chances with the students' health," some students question why smoking cigarettes is still allowed.
"I came into college smoking cigarettes, so i think the Juul is better for me than cigarettes because it doesn't affect as many people around me,” said student Mackenzie Laird. “There's no second-hand smoke."
Many students do not think this ban will lead people to quit.
"People die every day,” said Rodriguez. “You know that kind of stuff going into it, if you don't do the proper research it's your fault."
Some students heard the news first from their friends in College Station. The details still are being worked out, but the new rule will go into effect sometime this week.
"I'm a senior, being very stressed about having to go into the real world, that is my way of coping with my stress and they're taking that from me," Laird said.
Penalties for violating the vaping and e-cigarette ban have not yet been set.
The vaping and e-cigarette ban doesn't just apply to the Texas A&M systems’ 11 universities, it also applies to its research and agricultural extension sites.
