But there were a few opponents of the proposal who said that such a ban would infringe on the rights of smokers. It would ban cigarettes, cigars, and pipes in all living units, common areas and outdoor areas within 25 feet of a public housing building.
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Banning smoking in public housing would save the federal government $153 million a year, according to a 2014 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That, officials said, could be accomplished only by eliminating smoking from indoor spaces. The law also prohibits smoking in common areas of residential buildings, such as hallways, lobbies, stairwells and elevators. Researchers have credited the decline in smoking to several key policy changes, including higher taxes on cigarettes and smoke-free laws that have made it more hard to light up in public. She said they and the police pretty much ignore each other. “So what are we going to do evict grandma and put her out on the street?” “It would make sense to have that included”. “Smoking is legal”, said Porcha Darby, a public housing resident.
Right. This not how a housing authority that is responsible for as many people as live in Boston – and that can’t find money to have superintendents stay in buildings after 5 so working people can find them – should be spending its time and energy. That’s why we at the Baltimore City Health Department applaud HUD’s decision to eliminate smoking in public housing. Open communication with residents and the fact that it’s a smaller housing authority likely contributed to the ease, she said, noting that larger housing agencies might have more difficulty making the transition. Ratto, a non-smoker, said she supported the ban citing the health hazards.
“I think it would be awesome because the kids that want to play outside they don’t have to come around other people while they smoking”, said Conley.
“Affordable and healthy housing should not be mutually exclusive and this proposed rule helps to ensure that residents in public housing can breathe smoke-free air where they live”, said a statement from Chris Hansen, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.
“We applaud the housing department’s leadership in protecting hundreds of thousands of children living in public housing from secondhand smoke”, said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus, which advocates for children’s health.
“They must understand and realize that we are smokers and have been for quite a few time, and just quitting smoking is not acceptable”, Price said.
And she’s already giving out doctor’s orders. “I smoke on the back porch” so the the walls and curtains won’t smell, she added. Yet hotels can ban smoking in the rooms they rent and charge huge cleaning fees if you fail to comply.
Beata Kubiak, 19, sat on her stoop enjoying a cigarette.
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She thought that the proposed smoking ban was a good idea, both for health and cleanliness. “There’s a lot more that kills people around here than cigarettes”, she said.
