It's been about a month since UF's campus-wide tobacco ban went into effect, and so far it doesn't seem like much has changed.
The ban, effective since July 1, is intended to promote healthy lifestyles on campus and discourage the use of any tobacco products, even smokeless tobacco like snuff or electronic cigarettes.
All students, faculty, visitors and construction workers are within the ban's breadth.
However, while that seems all encompassing, the ban has one major flaw - it's difficult to enforce.
Capt. Jeff Holcomb, public information officer for the UF police department, said it's hard to gauge the ban's effectiveness because it's not punishable like a law, but remains just a policy.
"I haven't heard any uproar about it from either side, either negative or positive," Holcomb said. "So, hopefully that means people are complying."
Frankie Tai, a secretary at the UF Student Health Care Center, said there was an influx of people signing up for smoking cessation courses in the weeks leading up to July 1, but said it didn't last.
"I think it was the big scare that it was going into effect, but things have leveled out now," Tai said.
While some students and employees cross University Avenue for their smoke breaks, others, without fear of reprimand, just stay where they are.
"I just don't see the real validity to the whole ban. There's nothing they can do," said Matt Watts, a junior journalism student who sat smoking in front of Weimer Hall.
"Who's really gonna say something to you, as long as you're respectable," he said. "I'll continue to smoke on campus until Bernie Machen himself says don't do it."
