Secondhand Smoke in West Hollywood
From 2019 to 2021, NAPAFASA conducted outreach and education in West Hollywood about the harms of secondhand smoke and how smoke-free multi-unit housing policies can help protect people’s health and wellbeing. We spoke to residents at parks, laundromats, bus stops as well as at events like PRIDE and National Night Out.
These efforts amplified the longstanding efforts of resident members of the Coalition for Smoke Free Living in West Hollywood. Coalition members recruited fellow residents, shared their experiences of unwanted secondhand smoke exposure with city staff and council, provided public comment at commission and council meetings, and gave voice to the importance of smoke-free mult-unit housing policies – as well as the importance of smoking cessation resources.
documenting Community experiences
The above video, Where There is Smoke, was produced by coalition member Jon Von Lingner and captures fellow coalition member’s testimony about their experiences.
The City of West Hollywood went on to pass a smoke-free mult-unit housing policy in March of 2021. The policy prohibits:
- Smoking tobacco, smoking cannabis, and vaping in all common areas of multi-unit dwellings
- Smoking tobacco inside all new multi-unit dwelling units (including new tenancies)
- Smoking tobacco on private balconies and patios of all new multi-unit dwelling units (including new tenancies)
- And effective in 2023, smoking tobacco on balconies and patios of all existing multi-unit dwelling units
For more information about secondhand smoke, smoking cessation resources, or how smoke-free multiunit housing policies can help protect your health and wellbeing, visit our Tobacco Cessation resources section.