Will smoke-free vapor products be included in smoking ban?
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) is considering expanding a proposed rule to ban “smoking” in all public housing to also include the use of smoke-free vapor products such as electronic cigarettes.
The announcement was made in the Federal Register. The HUD is currently considering banning smoking in all public housing buildings (as well as 25 feet from all buildings). A 60 day comment period has begun. The HUD’s discussion of the possibility of also banning vaping can be found on pages 13 and 14 of the proposal.
The American Vaping Association, a leading advocate for the benefits of reduced harm nicotine and non-nicotine products, has responded to the HUD’s announcement.
Gregory Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, responded to the proposal:
“For years, HUD tenants have had to deal with the consequences of rampant waste, fraud and mismanagement by public housing bureaucrats. Now, the bullying bureaucrats want to stop smokers from switching to dramatically reduced risk products that are both smoke-free and tobacco-free.”
“If these officials take away the most viable alternative to smoking, they’ll be losing not just the opportunity for harm reduction among tenants, but also the only viable way to promote enforcement. It is a reasonable and laudable goal to help smokers in public housing give up smoking, but this proposal is cruel and absurd. Vapor products create no smoke and leave behind no lingering smell, so outside of hiring peeping toms, there is simply no way to enforce such a ban.”
