Some of us here at Algonquin smoke religiously. Every hour of every class, We turn to the clock, anxious for a smoke break.
Now We would like to say that we in no way endorsing smoking. No, in fact many of us here wish we had never started the habit. But thats beside the point.
The 10-15 minute breaks the professors allow are sufficient to puff back a cigarette, grab a drink or a bite to eat, then make it to our seat without missing the next lecture.
Not every day works out so well though.
Those days you simply wake up on the wrong side of the bed. The days you have to skip coffee, skip breakfast, and run to class 15 minutes late already.
These are the days smokers forget cigarettes’ at home, or forget to buy a new pack.
At least in our case.
These are the days that smokers end up walking across campus, to the local Loblaws grocery store.
Our concern, if you could call it that, is how much business our cafeteria’s lose to Loblaws, attracting students with cigarettes for sale.
Not only that, but students are missing, then disturbing class, by having to leave the campus to buy cigarettes and coming back late.
That’s just a minor irritation though.
Our school already provides us with a place to purchase and consume alcohol. Why not a place to purchase tobacco?
North Bay’s Nipissing University and Canadore College sell cigarettes on campus. They know if tobacco users have cigarettes, they’re going to smoke them. And if they don’t have cigarettes, they’ll travel to get them.
All it would take here at Algonquin is one cafeteria to begin selling tobacco products.
The sale of cigarettes will generate revenue, not just by adding another product to the list of items to sell, but by encouraging students who buy their cigarettes and lunch at Loblaws, to instead buy their smokes and food at Algonquin.
Let’s face it, we’re all adults here at the college. The sale of cigarettes on campus is not only beneficial economically, but beneficial to the smokers missing class as well.
– Tyler Dubreuil