Chancellor's Office
A Message from the Medical Chief of Staff
Our campus will officially become smoke and tobacco-free on September 1st, 2017, in compliance with Executive Order 1108 issued by the Chancellor’s Office calling for a system-wide smoke and tobacco free environment.
We proudly join the many other colleges and universities nationwide that have already adopted tobacco-free and smoke-free policies. We applaud the CSU system for leading the way towards healthier communities.
Tobacco’s devastating health effects are well-established. In the U.S., cigarette smoking is responsible for over 480,000 deaths a year. It is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. On average smokers die 10 years earlier than nonsmokers.
Secondhand smoke exposure is recognized as a health hazard, particularly for children. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, there is no safe level of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. Secondhand smoking results in 41,000 deaths a year in the U.S.
Tobacco also impacts the environment, not only degrading air and water quality, but creating toxic waste. Cigarette butts, which are poisonous to wildlife and not readily biodegradable, account for nearly one-third of all the litter in our state and are the most common type of litter on our coastline.
Ever since the state of California pioneered smoke-free laws in the 1970’s, the rates of smoking and lung cancer in our state have declined. An estimated 1 million lives have been saved due to decreased smoking rates in our state.
California’s Department of Public Health and Tobacco Control Program work diligently to ensure “all Californians can live, work, play and learn in tobacco-free environments.” The CSU Chancellor’s office has extended this goal to our campuses, system-wide.
In the spirit of this commitment, the CSUSB Student Health Center offers programs to promote student health and success, including helping tobacco-users quit, and offering support through this process.
We invite all students to get to know our services and count on us to help them in any way we can.
To your health,
Richelle Marracino, MD
Medical Chief of Staff
Student Health Center
California State University San Bernardino