Smoking could soon be banned in the United States’s public housing

“… A few of our members who are public housing residents are very anxious about this”.

The rule would ban lit tobacco products – cigarettes, cigars or pipes – in all residences, indoor common areas and administrative offices.

But the city already bans smoking at worksites and in public spaces, and NYCHA, as the housing authority is known, does not allow smoking in lobbies and hallways. In moving to require the prohibitions across the country, federal officials say they are acting to protect residents from secondhand smoke – which can travel through walls and under doors – to reduce the risk of fires; and to lower building maintenance costs. “It’s impacting not only the tenants residing in that unit at that point in time, but tenants that will be residing in the unit in the future”.

“Thirdhand” smoke refers to the residue left on inside surfaces that mixes with common household pollutants. Perez said. “So yeah, I’m all for it”.

“That’s your own home; that’s your own kingdom”, said James Sharpe, 62, perched atop one of the green benches outside Melrose Houses in the Bronx where he sometimes smokes. The policy would also extend to all outdoor areas up to 25 feet from the housing and administrative office building.

The agency said it will save $153 million every year in healthcare, repairs and preventable fires.

In many states, she said, people who are eligible for Medicaid fail to apply. “It would make sense to have that included”.

“People like me, I have disabilities, and I have a problem walking, and if I can’t smoke in my apartment, at least, I can go on my back porch and smoke”, said Dennis Clayton, 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.

The Fayetteville Housing Authority had a meeting with tenants Thursday to discuss the possibility of making 248 public housing units smoke free.

However, not all of her neighbors were on board with the ban. Ratto, a non-smoker, said she supported the ban citing the health hazards.

“I like it”, said Dorothy Venning, 71, a tenant of 830 Amsterdam Ave., a NYCHA building on the Upper West Side. But it doesn’t just affect adults who smoke. I don’t think there’s anything inherently unfair about prohibiting smoking, but I question how this is going to be enforced.

Beata Kubiak, 19, sat on her stoop enjoying a cigarette.

“You can’t put a person out their house because they smoke cigarettes”, public housing resident Ruth Johnson said. So is it a good idea?

Angelica DeJesus, 35, of Passaic agreed with the proposal.

Being a big fan of big government, I don’t stop to ask, “Why Do They Want to Do That?”

“It wouldn’t be an immediate thing”, she said.

HUD will seek public comment before implementing the rule. HUD says the changes come after years of health studies and want housing agents must enforce the ban within the next 18 months for its 31-hundreds housing agencies nationwide.