All Public Housing in U.S. to go Smoke-free

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announces rule to make all public housing in the U.S. smoke-free by August 2018.  Previously, HUD had “strongly encouraged” housing authorities to adopt smoke-free policies since 2009.  Prior to the rule’s announcement, the CDC issued a study finding that a smoke-free public health rule would save the U.S. $341 million in annual health care expenditures, $108 million in housing renovation costs, and $72 million in smoking-attributable fire loss. In September of 2017, Respiratory Health Association and other tobacco control partners from Illinois were invited to the CDC’s offices in Atlanta for a training on how to assist with implementation of the rule.