The federal government is proposing a nationwide ban on smoking in public housing

(Image credit: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)

On Thursday, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is formally proposing a nationwide ban on smoking in all public housing, making nearly a million households smoke-free. "The argument about secondhand smoke is over," HUD Secretary Julián Castro told The New York Times. "It's harmful, and we believe it's important that we have an environment that's healthy in public housing."

A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that a nationwide smoking ban in public housing would save about $153 million a year in health care and building maintenance costs, and some public housing authorities have already enacted bans. But other public housing groups expressed concern about how such a ban would be enforced. The biggest challenge will be for the New York City Housing Authority, the nation's biggest, with some 400,000 people in 178,000 apartments and no smoking ban in place. The public has 60 days to comment on the proposal, and if finalized, public housing authorities have 18 months to enact the bans.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.