Starting in 2015, the nation’s second-biggest tobacco company, Reynolds American Inc., who make Camel and Pall Mall cigarettes, will prohibit employees from lighting up at employee desks, conference rooms, hallways or elevators. The factory floors, cafeterias, and fitness centers (?!) were already smoke free.A Reynolds spokesman made a bland statement to the AP about the change with no mention of the C-word or any other smoking-related illnesses. “We believe it’s the right thing to do and the right time to do it,” he said. “We’re just better aligning our tobacco use policies with the realities of what you’re seeing in society today.”Interestingly, of the 5,200 Reynolds employees, about 18% are smokers — in line with the smoking rate in the United States. Smokeless tobacco products will still be permitted, so that leaves e-cigarettes, dip, chew, snuff, snus, naswar, gutka, and tobacco water. But basically e-cigarettes. (We will inevitably revisit this issue again next year when the employees seek to ban e-cigarettes.)It’s also worth noting that Reynolds isn’t doing away with smoking all together: the company is building those sad indoor smoking areas you see sometimes in airports. You know, the ones for people that can’t wait until they get past baggage claim for a cigarette. We hope there’s at least a Starbucks nearby so that 18% can rethink their life choices and get their afternoon rush another way.

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