With recreational cannabis becoming legal on Wednesday, Fanshawe College has decided to ban smoking at all of its campuses and properties starting next month.
Fanshawe College announced on Tuesday that it has introduced a smoke-free policy that will prohibit smoking any form of tobacco and cannabis, as well as vaping and chewing tobacco. The policy will take effect on November 1.
Dave Schwartz, the executive director of reputation and brand management at Fanshawe College, said the decision to implement the policy now was in response to Ontario’s recent introduction of Bill 36, the Cannabis Statute Law Amendment Act, 2018, which allows cannabis smoking wherever tobacco is permitted.
He said there will be somewhat of a grace period following the implementation of the smoke-free policy.
"We really focus on education and supporting our students and staff, for the first several months we're going to focus more on education and helping people transition to a smoke-free campus. There won't be any fines or tickets issued... during the transition period," said Schwartz. "We're not focused on fines, we're focused on the overall health of the community."
In accordance with applicable legislation and the Workplace Accommodation Policy, Fanshawe said the college will provide accommodation for the medical use of cannabis.
"We will still make full accommodations for those who have a medical prescription, as well as any indigenous ceremonies that require smoking. Those two groups will still be allowed to smoke on campus," said Schwartz.
Fanshawe College will become one of over 30 post-secondary institutions across Canada that have already become smoke-free. The college will also offer staff and students a variety of supports and resources on harm reduction.
-With files from Miranda Chant
