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Local residents react to federal ban on smoking in public housing

Eddie Caperton speaks out against restrictions on smoking in public housing while outside East Lake Courts. Caperton has been smoking Black and Mild cigars for as long as he can remember and feels it's his right to smoke at home.
Eddie Caperton speaks out against restrictions on smoking in public housing while outside East Lake Courts. Caperton has been smoking Black and Mild cigars for as long as he can remember and feels it's his right to smoke at home. Eddie Caperton speaks out against restrictions on smoking in public housing while outside East Lake Courts. Caperton has been smoking Black and Mild cigars for as long as he can remember and feels it's his right to smoke at home.

By Yolanda Putman 4 min read

photo A nationwide public housing smoking ban will affect East Lake Courts.
photo CHA Executive Director Betsy McCright

A new rule that will ban smoking in public housing developments nationwide is receiving mixed reviews in Chattanooga.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development last week mandated public housing authorities across the nation implement policies prohibiting smoking within the next 18 months.

The rule will affect some 1.2 million public housing units, including the 2,571 units in Chattanooga. Residents who repeatedly violate the ban could be fined and, eventually, evicted. It prohibits lit tobacco products in all living units and indoor common areas, and all outdoor areas within 25 feet of housing and administrative offices. Electronic cigarettes will still be permitted.

Chattanooga Housing Authority Executive Director Betsy McCright said it would be next year before she works on a city-wide ban on smoking in public housing. The effort would include bringing in smoking cessation experts, she said.

However, she said, the rule does not prohibit housing authority residents from smoking. They just can’t smoke in public housing units or within 25 feet of the housing and administrative office buildings.