WASHINGTON — Smoking could soon be banned in public housing nationwide — even inside people’s apartments.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development proposed a rule Thursday that would require the more than 3,100 public housing agencies across the country to make their properties smoke-free.
“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,” HUD Secretary Julian Castro said in a news release.
Castro said the ban would protect the health of more than 760,000 children and save about $153 million a year in health care costs, repairs and preventable fires.
The rule would ban lit tobacco products — cigarettes, cigars or pipes — in all residences, indoor common areas and administrative offices.
The public has 60 days to comment on the rule. The ban would take effect 18 months after the rule is finalized.
