Smokefree by Law: Ordinances to Reduce Secondhand Smoke in Housing

Audience:

The primary audience for this session consists of city and county officials working on tobacco control, housing, or environmental health, in addition to tobacco control advocacy organizations and community based organizations.

Key Points:

In 2007, the city of Belmont, California became the first city in the United States to pass a law prohibiting smoking in multi-unit residences.  In the years since, over a dozen municipalities have followed suit, and tobacco control professionals in the state have come to focus on smokefree multi-unit housing ordinances as a key policy strategy. The key points of this session are to:

1) Describe and explain the legal underpinnings of smokefree multi-unit housing ordinances, and dispel common misconceptions about their legality,

2) Identify the key policy provisions needed for smokefree multi-unit housing ordinances to be successfully implemented, and

3) Compare and assess different enforcement mechanisms for smokefree multi-unit housing ordinances.

Educational Experience:

Audience members will learn the key points through listening to the presentation, engaging in a question and answer session, and discussing the issues raised by the presenter. Audience members will be able to apply the key points in their work through educating and informing key stakeholders and policymakers.

Benefits:

Audience members will benefit from this presentation by being able to explain the legal issues surrounding smokefree multi-unit housing ordinances, to recognize the key provisions that are contained in smokefree multi-unit housing ordinances, and to understand the different ways that a smokefree multi-unit housing ordinance can be enforced.