Editorial: Don’t rent or don’t smoke

We all have reasons to hate our neighbors, whether it is for their obnoxious Chihuahua or the… We all have reasons to hate our neighbors, whether it is for their obnoxious Chihuahua or the fact that they constantly call the cops on your raging parties.

But what if your neighbor’s habits were actually endangering your health?

An essay published in The New England Journal of Medicine argues for a ban against smoking in all public housing complexes, stating that one person smoking in the building exposes others to secondhand smoke, toxic gases and carcinogens.

“Smoke does not know to stop at a door,” said Dr. Jonathan P. Winickoff, one of the paper’s authors. The essay also notes the toxic chemical residue of cigarettes that gets absorbed by things like carpeting and clothing even after smoke has cleared.

If these risks are legitimate, the ban should also apply to all apartment buildings.

Many landlords already have policies against smoking, just like many have policies against keeping pets. Well, except smoking is bad for everyone and not just for those with allergies.

Although we would support a smoking ban in public housing complexes as well as all apartment buildings to move toward a healthier society, it might only be practical to leave the smoking policy up to the building owner’s discretion.

If you’re worried about your neighbors smoking habits seeping through the paper-thin wall you share, seek out a building with a non-smoking policy. And if you don’t want to strain your damaged lungs by moving your smoking outdoors, seek out a smoking friendly building, don’t rent or, well, don’t smoke.