To the Editor:

Advancing Tobacco Free Communities: St. Lawrence, Jefferson, and Lewis Counties is pleased to announce that today the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has officially proposed a nationwide ban on smoking in public housing.

The proposed rule is that all publically assisted housing must prohibit lit tobacco products in all units, indoor common areas, and all outdoor areas within 25ft of housing and offices. The rule will be open for 60 days of public comment and will be implemented within 18 months of the final rule.

The ban will protect millions of residents from the devastating health effects of second hand smoke, which kills over 40,000 nonsmokers every year in the U.S. HUD Secretary Julián Castro reported "We have a responsibility to protect public housing residents from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke, especially the elderly and children who suffer from asthma and other respiratory diseases…This proposed rule will help improve the health of more than 760,000 children and help public housing agencies save $153 million every year in healthcare, repairs and preventable fires."

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Surgeon General have said that there is no safe level of secondhand smoke, which can travel through air vents, under doors, through plumbing, and even through electrical sockets, which puts nonsmokers at just as great a risk for developing tobacco related illness as smokers. In fact, since 1964, 2.5 million nonsmokers have dies as a result of exposure to secondhand smoke (CDC).

The ban will also decrease costs and insurance rates significantly for landlords, creating more available funds for other projects and renovations, considering that the turnover cost of units that have been smoked in are much higher than for those that have not and also tend to stay on the market. The demand for smoke-free housing has been growing such that 85% of Americans don’t want smoking inside their home (American Lung Association).

In a recent survey of St. Lawrence County residents, over half (59%) agreed that they would want smoke-free housing. By banning smoking indoors, HUD is protecting residents from disease, fire, unsanitary living conditions, and will be responsible for saving lives nationwide.

While many housing authorities in our area have decided to go smoke-free already, some have been avoiding HUD’s previous encouragements to implement a policy since 2009.

With the ban officially proposed, Advancing Tobacco-Free Communities would like to extend our assistance to any local housing authority who would like help developing and implementing a smoke-free policy. We are able to provide free signage for buildings along with policy guidance, tenant and landlord education, and referral to cessation resources.

For assistance with a smoke free policy, or question about HUD’s new proposed smoking ban, contact us at 713-4861.

Elizabeth Billings

Advancing Tobacco Free Communities Program Assistant