At one point in my life, when I was young and foolish, I thought it was funny when someone told me that they were “allergic to smoke.” It seemed like such an odd thing to be allergic to, I really thought they were pulling my leg. Well, Karma has a great way of equalizing life by showing you instead of telling you.
When I quit smoking at 30, I developed asthma as my lungs were trying to rid themselves of the tar and nicotine I’d built up over the 15 years I smoked. I had substantial damage to my lungs and was later diagnosed with mild emphysema, even though I had quit. I discovered I was “allergic to smoke” then, but Karma wasn’t done making her point. Not by a long shot.
I worked in Tobacco Control years later, helping to generate grass roots support for the clean indoor air act in Massachusetts. Working with all ages I found my voice in the movement to protect our air from harmful pollutants. I was a believer and always will be.
As an elderly woman living in HUD subsidized senior housing, I signed the same no smoking clause that everyone else signed, expecting the property to be smoke-free. Imagine my horror when I woke up from sleep, my bedroom full of smoke from someone’s cigarettes, or walking into my bathroom first thing in the morning and breathing second-hand pot smoke. I can’t tell you how many times I woke up coughing and choking because someone else can’t obey the rules. It’s a matter of health for many of us.
Having dealt with this issue through 3 managers in my 9 years living here, I understand that there is due process, and management needs to have proof in order to legally deal with the smokers who defy the rules.
I bought a Wyze camera to stick in my window to catch whoever is sitting on the stairs outside my bedroom window smoking at night. The only problem is, I need to find the app that works with my particular phone. When I find it, watch out, smoker who haunts me. You will be on film breaking the rules and I will have proof of your identity.
Thank you to the smokers in our building who mind the rules and smoke in the outside area they were given permission to smoke in. I think I can speak for all the non-smokers who appreciate your consideration for the rest of us.
We non-smokers have a right to clean air and to enjoy our own apartments without suffering pollution foisted on us from the defiant rule-breakers. There are HUD rules which are federal that clearly state that smoking is prohibited in subsidized housing or within 25 feet of buildings. We need to be vigilant to protect our rights, speak up if we see someone breaking the rules, and help each other when necessary.
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Susan B. Lovejoy 