This is in response to the article on Aug. 17, 2024 “Don’t turn landlords into the ‘Smoking Police” by Alan Pentico.
Most people do not smoke. Of the 35 million people living in California, only 3.2 million adults smoke or vape. That leaves over 90% of the population living smoke-free lives, yet when they live adjacent to a smoker, staying smoke-free can feel nearly impossible.
Protecting people who live in multi-unit housing is important as seniors and kids spend more time indoors. Secondhand smoke is the smoke or vapor exhaled by the smoker. Secondhand smoke kills 50,000 people in the US every year. It contains over 7,000 chemicals, 70 known to be cancer-causing. When someone smokes in their apartment, it drifts through doors, windows, ventilation ducts, outlets and more. There is no safe level of secondhand smoke – all exposure is harmful. Long-term exposure to indoor air pollution can cause an array of health issues, including respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer.
The City of Carlsbad has shown leadership in protecting their residents, moving forward with a policy making all multi-unit housing 100% smoke-free. Smoke-free housing policies are a best practice in addressing the harm caused by secondhand smoke exposure. One hundred jurisdictions in California have adopted a version of this policy to date, Carlsbad being the first in San Diego County to act.
Public opinion polls from the cities of San Diego, Chula Vista, and Imperial Beach show that residents want this policy. Over 500 multi-unit housing residents participated in a 2023 survey*. Most participants had been bothered by secondhand smoke in their home, despite most living in “smoke-free” apartment communities. The overwhelming majority, 87% of respondents, indicated they would support a smoke-free multi-unit housing policy in their city, and most indicated that property managers would be best to enforce the policy.
Property managers agree: 95% of manager respondents indicated they would support a smoke-free multi-unit housing policy. In conversations with property managers, it has been shared that such a policy would “even the playing field because it would be the law”.
Carlsbad is setting a great example for the rest of San Diego County in how to protect the health of multi-unit housing residents. Property managers, medical providers, public health advocates, and residents agree a policy making all multi-unit housing smoke-free is in the best interest of the communities’ health. Carlsbad was first, who will be next to protect their residents?
*San Diego Smoke-Free Project. Public Opinion Poll. 2023. Funded by California Department of Public Health under contract 20-10005.
