HUD to ban smoking in all federally subsidized public housing (Baltimore Sun)
Smoking is to be prohibited in federally subsidized public housing nationwide as soon as early next year under a rule announced Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The rule, which was proposed by the agency last year, bans lit tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars and pipes in all indoor areas — even inside people's apartments — and within 25 feet of all buildings.
The agency is giving local public housing agencies 18 months to implement the policy.
The rule would bring more than 940,000 public housing units in line with the more than 228,000 across the country that have already gone smoke-free under a voluntary HUD policy or local initiatives. The ban does not apply to electronic cigarettes or smokeless alternatives such as snuff or chewing tobacco.
The prohibition is to be written into residents' leases. Repeated violations could lead to eviction.