In the state of Maryland, it is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to use or possess cigarettes. However, every day after school students are smoking them across the street.

At CHS, the punishment for tobacco on school grounds or in the immediate visible area is confiscation of products, parent notification and detention. In Maryland, juveniles are subject to a citation and a $25 fine for the first violation. However, some police officers find the punishment process lengthy and unnecessary.

“For a juvenile citation, you have to take him or her back to the station and sit around and wait for a parent to come,” Montgomery County police officer Matthew Doyle said. “It is a waste of time.”

Although under Maryland law 18-year-olds are legally allowed to smoke and possess cigarettes, all students must follow the rules outlined in the Student Handbook, regardless of age.

“When we see someone smoking, we can pull them in and we can self-search them,” security guard Terry Bell said. “During the search, we get their age. Eighteen-year-olds cannot have cigarettes on school property.”

Some students are not discouraged by these punishments, however.

“The punishments are not very tough, which is perfectly fine,” said junior Andrew, who requested his name be changed.

While some students think the punishments are unfair and disregard them, others are more cautious.

“I think that the students who are afraid of getting caught are cautious of where they smoke cigarettes,” junior Aveeda Biparva said. “The students who smoke the cigarettes across the street from the school do not care and are not scared of getting caught.”

While some students smoke cigarettes in plain sight, others are careful of where they choose to go. At CHS, there are two locations commonly known as Green Lane and The Cut.

Although these locations are off school property, they are still in the immediate visible area, which means students can be punished. The immediate visible area is what school faculty can see from the school building.

Once a student leaves school grounds to smoke a cigarette, not only can he or she be punished by the school for possessing tobacco, but he or she can also be punished by the school for leaving school grounds during the school day.
According to junior Alvaro Salazar, he has been caught before. Now, he changes his location to avoid security and the administration.

“Once students go off the sidewalk into the street they are off grounds,” Bell said. “The Cut is off school grounds.”

According to the Handbook, the minimum punishment for leaving school grounds includes detention, parent notification and extracurricular ineligibility for that day.

“The school is responsible for students once they are dropped off in the morning,” Bell said. “We are allowed to deal with issues concerning students if they leave school grounds during the school day.”