UNB goes completely smoke-free, marking over 100 Canadian post-secondary institutions who've made the move

It’s the 102^nd post-secondary institution in Canada to go completely smoke-free, according to the Canadian Cancer Society, but the University of New Brunswick is the first publicly-funded university in the province to make the move.

As of Thursday, smoking tobacco, cannabis, vaping and hookah products will not be permitted on any UNB property.

The university took a phased-in approach. Two years ago, it started limiting the areas where people could smoke, with the goal of going completely smoke-free on Sept. 1, 2022.

Support for students looking to stop smoking is available at campus student health service centres, according to UNB.

“This measure will protect people from second-hand smoke and it's going to discourage smoking and vaping,” said Rod Cunningham, with the Canadian Cancer Society.

The society has a database of all university and college campuses who’ve gone 100 per cent smoke-free. In New Brunswick, those include Le Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB) Edmundston campus, Crandall and Kingswood Universities – which are considered private institutions. And now, UNB.

But there are many other Atlantic Canadian post-secondary institutions that have also gone smoke-free, some years ago.

“Dalhousie did it, essentially was the first, in 2003,” Cunningham said. “But we've seen many other university and colleges in the Atlantic region that have done this as well. Whether it's UPEI, or Memorial, or Acadia or Saint Mary's. It's a very positive step for UNB.”

At UNB on Thursday, students CTV News spoke with were mostly positive about the move, but showed some concern for fellow students who rely on tobacco or vape products.

“It will be kind of nice, it will make for a much greener place, much fresher air,” said one third-year student. “But some are going to have trouble just quitting. It will be difficult for them.”

Two others felt a designated area for those who wish to smoke would be an appropriate way to manage smoking on campus.

Cunningham says the hope is that it encourages more to stop smoking completely.

New Brunswick has some of the highest rates of youth smoking in the country. About 41 per cent of students grades seven to 12 have tried e-cigarettes, according to a 2019 study on tobacco, alcohol and drugs among students.