In the never-ending quest to ban cigarette smoking, one assemblywoman is proposing the banning of cigarette smoking on all college campuses – public and private – in New Jersey.

Assemblywoman Celeste Riley wants to end the practice on all college campuses, saying, in effect, that institutions of higher learning should teach about the value of good health – and one way to accomplish that would be to take away the dreaded cigarettes from all “kids” – a term she uses to describe college students.

“The thought behind it is that we as a society should be promoting a healthy lifestyle. And our institutions of higher learning are where our kids go,” Riley said. “They’re in an environment where it is teaching them to be not only intellectually smart. But we should also teaching them to be healthy, vibrant citizens. I feel smoking goes completely against that. We should be promoting the healthy side of life.”

Sitting around the cluttered breakfast table this morning, my wife and I briefly discussed the proposed ban – in our own inimitable way:

I’ve said all along that if the legislature were so concerned about the health of the public, do away with the sale of cigarettes in the state.

Of course, that will never happen, because they need money to spend – and a good portion of that money comes from the sale of cigarettes.

Maybe Riley and all her cohorts should put their money where their mouths are!

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