Smoking in San Diego Condos May Be a Thing Of The Past

Smoking in San Diego Condos May Be a Thing Of The Past
With more and more venues and facilities on the “no smoking” wagon, San Diego county apartments and condominiums may soon follow.

Building owners and county officials are being asked to ban smoking in multi-unit residences such as apartments and condominiums as a courtesy to adjoining residences. Anti-tobacco groups present their argument by stating that cigarette odor can make its way into nearby units which can aggravate those with respiratory illnesses such as asthma. Other advocates of such a law are quick to note that less than 14 percent of Californians actually smoke cigarettes, so a law to ban smoking in such places would be an advantage to the great majority of people in the area.

Since 2006, California has officially declared secondhand smoke as toxic, and some residences have complained about the results of other smokers who reside in nearby building units. Anti-smoking advocates have wanted to see such a law passed for some time now. Secondly, groups such as Social Advocates for Youth are not the only ones who have an opinion on the matter; many building owners see a positive side to this as well.

Apartment and condo managers say that by only allowing nonsmoking residences within the buildings, they could cut down on cleanup costs when smokers move out and even see a higher selling point.

Skeptics present the fact that it may be difficult for a landlord to determine who may or may not be smoking in the building, and if a resident is suspected of such, there would be no way to enforce the law. Although a no-smoking law may seem unreal to some, others agree that this is the popular trend throughout the entire country.

Thus far, approximately 20 building owners have already volunteered to restrict tenants from tobacco use, many of whom have already begun posting no smoking signs throughout the property. Seemingly, San Francisco will have no shortage of residents excited about the proposed law, stating that living in multi-residence buildings have sent their children to the hospital emergency room and have forced them to change their living conditions such as leaving the air conditioner off in order to prevent second hand smoke from circulating into their home.