The Department of Housing and Urban Development is moving to ban smoking in public housing. According to al.com the agency issued a proposed rule Thursday that outlines a far-reaching ban that includes low-income housing complexes.

The agency acknowledged that the rule could lead to eviction notices for poor, disabled smokers. The agency said;

This proposed rule would require each public housing agency (PHA) administering public housing to implement a smoke-free policy,” a notice published in the Federal Register read. “Specifically, this rule proposes that no later than 18 months from the effective date of the final rule, each PHA must implement a policy prohibiting lit tobacco products in all living units, indoor common areas in public housing, and in PHA administrative office buildings (in brief, a smoke-free policy for all public housing indoor areas). The smoke-free policy must also extend to all outdoor areas up to 25 feet from the housing and administrative office buildings, the smoking ban would apply to all lit cigarettes, pipes, and cigars in indoor areas including living units, indoor common areas, storage units, and PHA administrative office buildings and in all outdoor areas within 25 feet of the housing and administrative office buildings.

Hookahs and electronic cigarettes were not included in the proposed rule, although the agency is seeking comment on whether to include them in the final regulation. The agency is pushing ahead with the ban despite its admission that low-income tenants could find themselves evicted as a result of the rule. The preferred method of establishing the ban will be through lease agreements, a violation of which could result in an eviction notice.

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