Con: Smokers' corner: blow off
A staff editorial

  Over the years, students have heard several neames for the intersection of Bertling Lane and Winnetka Avenue: Cancer Corner, Smokers’ Corner—whatever words students use, the name is always negative, proof that smoking is a harmful activity.
  This is not to insult students who choose to use cigarettes; that is their own choice. On one level, many fear that secondhand smoke poses an imminent threat to their health, but privacy laws guarantee that citizens have the right to smoke where they choose, unless limited by private organizations like restaurants. While we may not agree with students’ choices to smoke and regret the moments when we have to hold our breath as we walk to our cars, the school should not shut down “Cancer Corner” solely on the basis that it interferes with the passers-by.
  More important is what we do as a community. Teachers, staff, parents, and many students preach against substance use, but permitting it only a few yards away from school perpetuates the mindset that smoking is not a bad activity. And there are even subtler repercussions: take for example the student considering trying cigarettes. Our community’s failure to act against smoking might seemingly condone it.
  Hopefully, students do not feel such an urgent desire to smoke that they can only walk a minimal distance away from school before lighting their cigarettes. If this is the case, the school should consider taking a more active stance toward helping these addicted students recover and lead more healthful lives. The mere aesthetic is saddening: students partake in a lethal activity and pollute the environment with smoke and cigarette butts. The goal of education is to prepare lives for hopeful futures. As a community, are we complicit with these students harming themselves?