Let’s follow smoking rules!

　Smoking damages the health of not only the smoker themselves but also that of non-smokers around them. For this reason, the Health Promotion Act makes it obligatory to prevent such harm. Specifically, public places such as schools, hospitals, and government offices must, in principle, be entirely non-smoking, while offices, public transportation, restaurants, bars, etc must, in principle, be non-smoking indoors (designated smoking areas can be set up outside). The number of such facilities that are completely non-smoking is also increasing.
　At the university, the Takaramachi and Tsuruma campuses (university hospital, School of Medicine, School of Health Sciences) are completely non-smoking both inside and outside buildings. The Kakuma campus is non-smoking apart from in designated smoking areas (four areas).
　If you smoke, follow the rules about smoking and take adequate care to prevent non-smokers being bothered or the environment being polluted. And it goes without saying that minors are prohibited from smoking by law. Those under 20 should obviously be aware of this themselves, but if you work part time in a convenience store, restaurant, bar, etc., remember that selling tobacco products to those under 20 is a violation of the Act on Prohibition of Smoking by Minors.
　The following are the minimum rules that smokers should follow:

1. Only smoke where permanent ashtrays are installed.
2. Don’t smoke while walking.
3. Don’t throw cigarette butts on the ground.
4. Don’t move ashtrays in smoking areas without permission.

　In medical terms, smoking is a form of drug addiction. If you want to quit smoking but don’t know how to, or have tried to but haven’t been successful, pleased consult the Health Service Center or a medical institution that offers outpatient support with smoking cessation. Alternatively, visit the following website:
Quit Smoking Marathon(Japanese language only)

　Kanazawa City has passed a local ordinance with the aim of keeping the city streets clean. The ordinance prohibits cigarette-butt littering and not cleaning up dog/cat mass, as such behavior worsens the living environment and is a nuisance to other people. It also imposes restrictions on smoking in outdoor public spaces such as streets (specifically, with respect to smoking, the ordinance prohibits throwing cigarette butts etc. on the ground and imposes an obligation to endeavor not to smoke on in outdoor public spaces such as streets). So be sure to follow smoking rules and etiquette both on campus and off it.
　Under the revised Health Promotion Act, a penalty of up to 300,000 yen (non-penal fine) is imposed for smoking in places where smoking is prohibited.