Public Housing Will Go Smoke-Free Nationwide Beginning Next Week

Washington, D.C – Next week the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in coordination with more than 3,100 public housing agencies across the country, will finally go smoke-free. The change is a result of a rule HUD adopted in 2017 and will prohibit the use of all combustible (burned) tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, pipes and waterpipes in all living units, indoor common areas, administrative offices and all outdoor areas within 25 feet of housing and office buildings.

A statement from Gary Reedy, CEO of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), follows:

“We applaud HUD for working with local housing agency partners over the last 18 months to ensure implementation of the smoke-free rule is successful. Eliminating secondhand smoke exposure in public housing units will allow more than 2 million U.S. residents to breathe smoke-free air where they live. This includes an estimated 760,000 children and 300,000 senior citizens.

“This change will improve the health of millions of Americans, save lives and encourage resident tobacco users to quit. The continuing higher smoking prevalence in specific subpopulations, such as individuals in lower socioeconomic groups, certain racial and ethnic groups, and those with mental health or substance use conditions, is a pressing challenge. More support and new attempts at reaching these populations are essential to combat these public health disparities. HUD’s collaboration with other federal agencies, federally qualified health centers, and non-governmental organizations to provide cessation information and resources to residents as part of the new smoke-free rule will effectively do so.

“The American Cancer Society’s advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN, will continue to push for strong, comprehensive smoke-free policies that prevent youth from starting to use tobacco, help current users quit and reduce exposure to the serious dangers of secondhand smoke. The most effective way to tackle the devastating public health effects of tobacco use is through significant tobacco tax increases, fully funding tobacco prevention and cessation programs at the state and federal level and smoke-free policies like those being implemented in public housing today. We are happy to see this change and look forward to continuing to work on reducing tobacco’s burden nationwide.”