Posted on 07/31/2018 3:00:59 PM PDT by Drango
Smokers can no longer light up in or near public housing facilities in the U.S. due to a new rule that went into effect July 31. The nationwide ban on smoking in public housing was implemented nearly two years after the rule was passed by the Obama administration in 2016.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) now prohibits the use of cigarettes, cigars and pipes in all public housing units and common areas, as well as any outdoor areas up to 25 feet from public housing and administrative office buildings. The ban does not apply to e-cigarettes, snuff and chewing tobacco, although there may be restrictions on those in some areas.
HUD says about 228,000 public housing units under more than 600 local agencies were already smoke-free, and the new rule wipes out smoking in more than 940,000 other units. The ban is expected to save government housing agencies $153 million a year in repairs and health care costs, including $16 million for costs tied to smoking-related fires, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in 2014.
HUD said the new policy would reduce health hazards from secondhand smoke and encourage residents to quit smoking.
The ban on smoking products must be included in public housing tenants' leases, HUD says. Tenants will not be evicted for a single instance of smoking, but could face eviction after several smoking violations.
For those who want help to quit smoking, officials recommend calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) toll-free to talk to a trained coach, or go to www.smokefree.gov.
Oh you think? Landlords aren’t going to risk the income loss unless the rent isn’t paid. They don’t like empty units.
......” poor people are the most frequent smokers in my experience. Maybe thats what keeps them poor”.....
Actually it often helps poor people ‘endure’ being poor. Calms the anxiety and tension of it all.
Wealthier people often drink alot to drown the pressure of sustaining their wealth.
Also eats up money and time, smells up clothes and breath, making it harder to find gainful employment, thereby adding to the stress that turned them towards smoking. Vicious cycle.
It's NOT their OWN residence. They are RENTERS!!! And landlords all the time restrict what renters do on the landlords property. Easy solution. If they don't like the landlords rules...move out or stop smoking.
I had someone ask me for money for cigarettes once.
I took out a dollar from my wallet and set it on fire.
What wide eyes I created in the asker; but he got the message and the ashes.
Nailed it outta the box. Boom.
I suspect the similar is said of overweight people who now have health risks well beyond smokers..
And there’s second-hand fat, too. Obesity causes flatulence due to poor digestion, and if they like garlic and onions, peeeyooo! So nobody gets to sign a lease in public housing until they have six pack abs.
“It’s NOT their OWN residence. They are RENTERS!!! And landlords all the time restrict what renters”.
YOU as a private landlord can discriminate between smokers and non-smokers. The government cannot. You as a private landlord can choose non-smokers over smokers, the government cannot.
The people in public housing have been there for years, many years. Their contracts cannot be changed by government whim to suddenly disallow smoking in their own residence, anymore than you would get away with making a lease that allows pets and then suddenly telling your renters with pets you are banning their pets. You would be sued, as will the federal government be.
Perhaps it’s true and rightly said...We’re all going to die.
And tattoos and booze and the lottery and...
I am right now...always a great idea!
[FTR I smoke cigars, but never cigarettes.]
Me too.
Gay’s get a pass................
This will not be easy,,,,or end well.
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