Starting today, Montgomery College has banned tobacco anywhere on its campuses, including outdoor areas far away from any buildings.

In the Post’s lengthy story on the decision, the two sides of the smoking debate muse on whether this sort of policy will become standard on most college campuses around the country over the next few years. Anti-smoking and health advocates see this sort of policy as the inevitable next step. Others think it’s going way too far.

In the FAQ section of the school’s announcement of the new policy on its web site, the college goes so far as to specifically ban smoking in a remote outdoor parking lot at Mannakee and Rockville Pike, meaning students who park there could be in violation of the rule if they are smoking inside their own cars when they pull into the parking lot. The same would be true of anyone using chewing tobacco, since the ban includes tobacco in any form, not just cigarettes.

Students and faculty who are caught violating the tobacco ban are subject to a series of escalating punishments, from an oral warning, to a written warning, and eventually to disciplinary suspension. Campus visitors caught using tobacco may be asked to leave if they refuse to comply with the rule.