Stay Away Campaign: No S.A.D. Be SMART, UPH Consistent to Apply ‘Non Smoking Campus’

UPH, A Non Smoking Campus

Tangerang, November 11, 2015 – University of Pelita Harapan (UPH) is a campus that is consistently implementing anti-smoking. The slogan ‘A Non Smoking Campus’ are seen in every strategic place in the campus environment. This slogan is made real by the application of a firm, ranging from strict regulations with penalties to a coaching program created to make UPH campus as a clean campus or KASIH (short for ?clean campus? in Indonesian language). It aims to create a healthy and comfortable environment for everyone who is on the campus of UPH.

This consistency is one of the points that brings UPH Founder, James T. Riady, as one of the award recipients for his dedication and concern for the dangers of smoking, from WITT, June 2008. UPH support towards healthy living habits has also been proven by obtaining Sanggraha Krida Award of Affairs in 2009. The award is given on the consistency of UPH in supporting sport at university level.

‘Stay Away’ Campaign was first launched in 2010, and was held again this year with a call of No S.A.D. Be SMART, which lasted for three days, from 10 to 12 November 2015. The second day, this campaign is filled with mini talk show about the dangers of smoking that is  by delivered National Comissions of Tobacco Control, Fuad Baradja hosted by Ambassador of UPH Finalists, held at UPH campus park.

Fuad Baradja, with the MC dan Ambassador of UPH in Mini Talkshow

One of the issues raised in this talk show is the trend of smoking among adolescents. Many young people are becoming a social smoker or smoke for social purposes, especially when they gather with fellow smokers. According to Fuad, the notion of smoking only as a way to be accepted in the society is not right. “Social smoker is just a way to bind a person to be smoker. Starting from curiosity, and then addicted because of the nicotine in cigarettes. It is impossible to be a social smoker forever, eventually the person will become addicted,” said Fuad.   Associated with the strategy cigarette manufacturers in offering cigarettes with lower nicotine levels, by labeling Mild or Light, according to Fuad, in fact it’s just a misdirection. Thing that happens is that people will consume more cigarettes in order to satisfy the need ofaddiction .

The mini talk show also raised the topic on the presence of cigarette substitute products, namely Shisha and electric cigarette that is considered much safer than smoking and the product is attractive to many people, especially the younger generation. In response to this, Fuad confirms that the content of the shisha is no better than cigarettes, even worse. The burning of shisha and then through the water steam to be inhaled contains dangerous content. Fuad with certainty say that the composition of shisha paste is definitely using tobacco. Tobacco in shisha paste which is burned actually produces carbon monoxide that is much larger. “Carbon monoxide entering the lungs will be processed as oxygen and into the bloodstream, which then binds to blood hemoglobin many times more powerful than oxygen, oxygen consequently become less. The more oxygen is released, there will be a shortage of oxygen which causes a variety of diseases, one of them is stroke,” Fuad explains. 

So is the case with electric cigarette, which is no less dangerous. Cartridge in the electric cigarette consists of a pure nicotine mixed with glycerin solvent, dieter glycol and propylene glycol, to make the nicotine evaporates when heated. The content in dieter glycol and propylene glycol is also the content of which can cause cancer, said Fuad.

Answering the question of what the benefits of tobacco itself, clearly Fuad said that processed tobacco have positive benefits, first as an organic pesticide that is very good indeed, second as an aircraft fuel which is currently not yet mass produced, and the third currently being aligned to, tobacco can be processed into a means of insulin therapy. However, Fuad reiterated the benefits of tobacco smoke does not mean it’s good to smoke tobacco and cigarettes, it is dangerous.

Fuad also explains the dangers of smoking for women, he explained that not all women smokers will result in infertility because there are factors of the condition of the body that is different in each person. But the fact that smoking can cause pregnancy disorders, and other disorders that cannot be denied.

The second question submitted by one of the Ambassador of the UPH are asking how to invite people around to quit smoking, but do not offend the smoker. Fuad said, the person must equip themselves with knowledge on the ill effects of smoking; one that not many people know is premature aging due to a reduction in the effectiveness of vitamin C by smoking harmful content. Then people need to have a strategy or proper way. To help people who want to become anti-smoking ambassador, Fuad invites students to open his social media account that talked a lot about the dangers of smoking and consult regarding the handling of cigarette addiction.

As the closing of the mini talk show, Fuad gives a message to UPH family saying, “Every person who does not smoke were blessed. There have been many people who smoke want to quit but it is difficult. For that those of you who do not smoke very blessed, and do not ever try. Trying is the beginning of an addiction.” (mt/mf)

UPH Media Relations