Why Secondhand Smoke Constitutes a Legal Issue for Residents
Brief summary of the issue from the Public Health Law Center:
Scientific evidence on the toxicity of secondhand tobacco smoke is both overwhelming and indisputable. The complex mixture of gases and particles that make up secondhand smoke (also known as environmental tobacco smoke) contains at least 250 chemicals known to be lethal, including more than 50 that can cause cancer. Medical authorities from around the world have concluded that secondhand smoke exposure causes heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease and lung cancer, has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system, and causes sudden infant death syndrome, acute respiratory infections, ear infections, and asthma attacks in children. In 2006, the U.S. Surgeon General concluded there is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke exposure and that regulating smoking through smoke-free laws and policies is the most effective way to protect individuals from exposure.
Check out their Housing Resources for fact sheets, tips & tools, and webinars.
Jeffco Smoke-Free Housing:
Supported by Amendment 35 funding, we can provide assistance with smoke-free policies in multiunit housing complexes.
Part of our goal is to provide resources for the legal community to advance smoke-free multiunit housing policies in Jefferson County. The website content provided here is a summary of materials available online and/or presented at local CLE trainings and workshops, and should not be taken as legal advice. Our hope is to provide tools to help reduce the perception of legal barriers to no-smoking policies and increase support and capacity to implement these policies.