MU announces updated tobacco-free policy

The University of Missouri announced Tuesday that all tobacco products will now be prohibited on campus. This tobacco ban includes products such as chewing tobacco and e-cigarettes.

It’s part of a grant the university received in from the American Cancer Society’s Tobacco-Free Generation Campus Initiative in 2017. The new policy was approved by the university in June.

Anyone who violates the new policy is only expected to receive a warning and will be connected with “free cessation resources,” according to a press release from the university. It’s part of an initiative to promote a healthy lifestyle.

“Becoming a tobacco-free campus will help us be a healthier place to work and to learn,” said Chancellor Alexander Cartwright.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 1,700 college campuses across the nation have already implemented similar tobacco-free policies.