The link below is about secondhand smoking in apartment buildings and the effect it has on the residents.
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/04/29/secondhand-smoke-permeates-many-apartment-buildings-stud
This article was about a study done nationwide that focused on the effects of secondhand smoke on residents living in apartment buildings. In the study, 323 residents were questioned about how much they were affected by other smokers in the building. The numbers showed that those with children were affected by secondhand smoking and noticed the smoke in the building more than those who do not have children. The families with children need to speak up against smoking in the complex if they feel so strongly about not having their children exposed to secondhand smoke. Should landlords be able to ban smoking throughout the apartment complexes? Should the people who don't smoke have a say in the rules of the apartment?
Since the people in the apartment building that don't smoke are the ones being affected by the smoke they should have a say in their living environment, especially if they have kids. A strategy the landlord could use is a fine for smoking inside which would deter most smokers. Another is to maybe split the complex so there is as much space between the smokers and non-smokers.
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ReplyDeleteI feel as if the landloard has 100% of the rights to ban smoking. Since it is his own property and his own business, his say is the final word. The smokers themselves should not have a say in whether smoking is banned or not. If they care that much about it, why not go and find a place that allows smoking? Secondhand smoke is dangerous and annoying, and if a building claims to be non-smoking, then it needs to be non-smoking. It is not fair to the non-smoking residents who potentially chose their living quarters based off if the apartment was originally smoke free or not.
People, especially children, should always have access to clean air. Action should definitely be taken to solve this due to the known health consequences of secondhand smoke. The apartment complex should be split into smoking and non-smoking. However, it's the landlord's property and he should have the right to do what he wants with his building.
ReplyDeleteYes, the landlord should have the ability to ban smoking in the building, seeing as it is his property, but the families that do not smoke should be aware that they are living in a smoking community before moving in. If the non smokers are informed that building is a smoking facility, then they have no right to complain and it would be unfair to the smokers who probably moved to this location so they could smoke without being harassed.
ReplyDeleteThe landlord should definatly be able to make a rule that bans smoking. Maybe he could separate the smokers and non smokers like they used to do in restaurants. They could put the smokers on the top floors and non smokers on the bottom floors. This would keep the land lord happy because he would get money. It would keep the smokers happy because they could smoke. And it would keep the nonsmokers happy because they wouldn't be around the smoke. It makes everyone happy.
ReplyDeleteThe landlord should definitely be allowed to make a rule hat bans smoking if that is what s/he wants. While segregating the smokers/nonsmokers is an idea, the issue is secondhand smoke- something that will still occur even through segregation. Residents of the apartment shouldn't really have much say into whether the building should allow smoking because each is biased. Rather, they should know upfront what kind of rules there are and be aware that not everyone follows the rules 100% of the time.
ReplyDeleteNot only should land lords be able to ban smoking, but I think that smoking in places such as apartments should be banned entirely. Smoking is very dangerous to the health and if families, especially those with children, have to breathe in smoke daily then it can have a drastic effect on their health as well. Smokers should have to leave the building and smoke outside where they can not put others at risk.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that landlords should be able to ban smoking in apartment complexes. People can smoke in the privacy of their own homes, but when others can be greatly affected, such as in apartment buildings, then they should not be able to. Second-hand smoke can be just as dangerous as smoking itself and can be very unhealthy for children. It is unfair and dangerous to children's health when neighbors are smoking in an apartment. It is not that difficult to smoke outside.
ReplyDeleteNo landlords should have to ban smoking, either the apartments you can smoke in or you cant smoke in them, so outside their doors or in the area applies for them as well. If an apartment complex says no smoking in the rooms then the whole property should be no smoking. People who dont smoke do not have a say in the apartment, if they dont want that then should not be in an area that has that, because they are just tenets and not the actual owners.
ReplyDeleteI think that landlords should be able to ban smoking in the apartment buildings. Yes smoking is legal but it is not fair to put others health in danger because of your bad habits. The landlord can make rules such as no pets allowed for reasons of odor, stains, and it could bother neighbors, so I don't see how landlords wouldn't be able to ban smoking because it can do all of those things also. At the very least I think that they should make smoking and nonsmoking floors, that might be difficult but at least it would help somewhat. I feel that the decision should be completely up to the landlord because it is their property and the people who do not like the smoking might have to move to a different location
ReplyDeleteLandlords have every right to ban smoking in a building. If we ignore the the topic of the effect it has on others and look at it from the landlords point of view it is much more obvious. Smoking in an apartment is very damaging to the carpet, curtains, walls and the just about everything else in the apartment. For this reason the landlord has the authority to ban smoking.
ReplyDeleteAs for the the tenants, they should not have much say in the matter. If they do not want to having people smoking in the same building as them then they need to find a smoke free place. If the landlord is making a switch from one to the other then the tenants should have a say matter but beyond that they have to choose where they live according to their beliefs, wants, and concers.
prompt 2
ReplyDeleteI think the landlord has complete control over banning smoking or not. If smokers want to smoke where they live then they can find a place that allows it. Second hand smoking is dangerous and damaging to those who are not putting themselves at risk. If nonsmokers decide to live in a place that allows smoking than that is their choice and they will have to live with it. The landlords have the final say on the banning of smoking on their properties and nonsmokers and smokers have the choice to live in an environment that will satisfy their needs and lifestyles.
Prompt 3
ReplyDeleteThe argument that the article is trying to bring up is that secondhand smoke is a big issue for residents that live in apartment complexes. Although this article is reporting facts about surveys and numbers that show how secondhand smoke is affecting residents, there is a underlying bias that this is a problematic issue that should be banned. Using quotes from organizations that are against smoking and also being off of a health website shows that the point is really to put secondhand smoke issues on the map. Secondhand smoke for a fact is harmful to ones health and I agree with the author that it is a problematic issue. Of course residents with families are going to notice the smoke more than other but the residents should know what their going into when they are looking for a home. Also the landlord should be able to “put down the law” if smoking should be prohibited or not because it is their own property. There are solutions to this problem like separating the housing from smokers to nonsmokers or just banning it completely. Smoking issues will always be a controversial issue that affects society but in the end we all know smoking is harmful.
Prompt 2
ReplyDeleteI believe the decision to ban or allow smoking in apartments is entirely up to the landlord. If it is the unpopular decision among the tenants then they can leave and find somewhere that meets their demands. It comes down to the simple rule of supply and demand, as long as the landlord is filling all of his units, there is no reason to change his rules. If tenants start moving out because they are unhappy with the second hand smoke in the building, then he can then change the rules to accommodate for the popular choice of his people. This should be a decision that is up to the landlord, but dictated by the people living in his building.
There is no doubt in my mind that landlords should be able to ban smoking in apartments. Non-Smokers should not have to worry about breathing in the toxins from cigarettes. Smokers have the right to smoke.....away from other life forms. If the landlord thinks it is beneficial to ban smoking in apartments then he or she has the right to do so. After all, it is their apartment.
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ReplyDeleteAmong the comments of the article about secondhand smoke in apartment buildings, there is one comment with writer’s personal experience that is really impressive. In her comment, the writer, who is a non-smoker, describes her own story of getting Emphysema and Coronary Obstructive Pulmonary Disease because of living in apartment under a smoking environment for several years. She thinks that landlord should provide a healthy environment for people to live in the apartment and the country should have a law of healthy habitability to protect people who have the same experience like her. Indeed, smoking is highly harmful for people’s health. It is really unfair for people, especially children, who do not smoke to be affected by secondhand smoke from others. Therefore, it is landlord’s responsibility to ban smoking in apartment and country’s obligation to set a law to protect citizen’s health. Also, the victims, non-smokers, have right to speak out their bad conditions and defend their right of living in a healthy environment. However, on the other hand, freedom and liberty are highly important in our modern society and people have their own right to enjoy doing the things they like such as smoking. Will the rule of banning smoking take freedom away from smokers? Comparing the right of smokers and that of non-smokers, which one is more important and how can we balance them out in harmony?
I don't think it would be right for them to ban smoking throughout the entire apartment complex but it isn't right for people with children to be taking in second hand smoke. I believe the people taking in the second hand smoke should talk to the landlord and I believe he should try splitting up the apartment complex. For instance have the right side of the complex a smokers side and the left side a non smokers side. It isn't fair to take away smoking for people who live there but it also isn't right for people to be breathing in their secondhand smoke.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely the landlord should be able to ban smoking in an apartment complex. It is a private property and they own the property, so they are able to set the rules. They should allow for smoking outside, but inside is a different matter because, as the article stated, it affects the other residents of the apartment who don't smoke. The should have a say in the rules because they are paying to live in the complex, so they should be as comfortable as possible without having to adjust to the other people living in the complex.
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