Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Smoking policy examples

[Elizabeth Magill (pastorlizm]

We probably have the same amount of guests who use the smoking area as we
do fire pits.
Wood smoke is much more dangerous than second hand cigarette smoke.
(It's more dangerous that smoking a cigarette, also, but no one takes a
deep breath to pull wood smoke into their lungs.)

https://www.familiesforcleanair.org/health/health4/

https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2017-10-20/you-asked-we-answered-how-come-no-one-knows-wood-smoke-is-bad-for-you
This article emphasizes how you try to avoid wood smoke, so don't worry,
but of course, I also avoid the second hand smoke from our outdoor smoking
area.

I certainly had significant problems with my asthma in the home I grew up
in with a wood stove.
I have little problem with our outdoor smoking area, because I avoid it if
people are smoking there.

I guess that's one of the  keys here. You can be welcoming of smoker guests
by having an outdoor area (with an overhang to get out of the rain) but you
certainly want it to be a location that those who aren't smoking can avoid.

Note also it might be relevant to your location. For a person in my
community to go off-site they would have to stand on a dark rural road.

-Liz
(The Rev. Dr.) Elizabeth Mae Magill
Pastor, Ashburnham Community Church
Minister to the Affiliates, Ecclesia Ministries
www.elizabethmaemagill.com
508-450-0431


On Wed, Oct 16, 2024 at 11:40 AM Yochai Gal <yochaigal [at] gmail.com> wrote:

> If folks do not smoke behind their homes (as they would here), then the
> situation is different! We do have a small fire pit that is used perhaps
> once per year; I hardly think it is comparable.
>
> Out cars (90% of which are EV or hybrid) are parked in a lot away from the
> homes. Again, not comparable to smoking (especially from residents). We
> have a few folks here who do smoke and I am very happy they do so away from
> the places people live. There were renters here once that smoked
> continually until they were strongly warned; the smell wafted into our home
> and it was awful. Again, we don't have a dedicated area for smoking of
> course.
>
> On Tue, Oct 15, 2024, 3:42 PM Elizabeth Magill <pastorlizm [at] gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > I have severe asthma.
> > We have a very small area where smoking is permitted,
> > and our policy includes requiring people to move so as not to bother as
> > person.
> >
> > Do you allow fire rings or pellet stoves?
> > (We allow those dangerous-to-our breath items as well.)
> >
> > Of course the biggest danger to my asthma is exhaust from gasoline
> engines
> > which we allow as well.
> >
> > -Liz
> > (The Rev. Dr.) Elizabeth Mae Magill
> > Pastor, Ashburnham Community Church
> > Minister to the Affiliates, Ecclesia Ministries
> > www.elizabethmaemagill.com
> > 508-450-0431
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Oct 15, 2024 at 3:33 PM Yochai Gal <yochaigal [at] gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > I'm curious: are there folks in your community with severe asthma or
> > > allergy symptoms? Or who require breathing assistance? Or are
> recovering
> > > from lung cancer? How do you balance the medical needs of community
> > members
> > > with those of outsiders who smoke? What about children who play
> outside?
> > >
> > > I for one am very happy my community bans smoking, and I have friends
> and
> > > family who smoke that come visit. They just smoke off-premises.
> > >
> > > Not everyone in my community agrees with this arrangement to be clear,
> > but
> > > I'm very glad we have a no smoking policy here.
> > >
> > >
> > > On Tue, Oct 15, 2024, 3:24 PM Elizabeth Magill <pastorlizm [at] gmail.com>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > So no one can have any family or friends who smoke come visit?
> > > >
> > > > I come from a family with a large number of alcoholic and drug
> addicts
> > > who
> > > > use cigarette smoking as part of their recovery efforts. So it was
> very
> > > > important to me that we be a welcoming community to my family.
> > > > There were certainly people who disagreed with me.
> > > >
> > > > -Liz
> > > > (The Rev. Dr.) Elizabeth Mae Magill
> > > > Pastor, Ashburnham Community Church
> > > > Minister to the Affiliates, Ecclesia Ministries
> > > > www.elizabethmaemagill.com
> > > > 508-450-0431
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On Tue, Oct 15, 2024 at 2:51 PM R Philip Dowds via Cohousing-L <
> > > > cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > When we opened in 2000, smoking was allowed in the units, and in
> the
> > > > > outdoors commons so long as there were no complaints.  Lately,
> we’ve
> > > gone
> > > > > to no smoking anywhere within the property line; apparently, this
> is
> > > > legal
> > > > > in Massachusetts, and can apply to construction workers and other
> > > > > visitors.  Medical marijuana does have an exception (as do service
> > dogs
> > > > > “pets”) —  but if this exception has ever been used, we do not
> know.
> > > > >
> > > > > RPD • Cornerstone in Cambridge
> > > > >
> > > > > > On Oct 15, 2024, at 1:12 PM, Sharon Villines via Cohousing-L <
> > > > > cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org> wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > >> On Oct 14, 2024, at 11:01 PM, Laura Blosser <
> > laurablosser [at] gmail.com
> > > >
> > > > > wrote:
> > > > > >>
> > > > > >> I would love to see examples of smoking policies that allow some
> > > form
> > > > of
> > > > > >> smoking beyond member residences / backyards only.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Takoma Village has always allowed smoking in areas open to the
> sky
> > > and
> > > > > away from non-smokers. But we have also had no regular smokers for
> > > years.
> > > > > Guests smoke sometimes.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Our proposed revisions may add the possibility of designating an
> > area
> > > > > for smoking when we have construction workers on site who like to
> sit
> > > and
> > > > > smoke during lunch breaks. The best place to do this is near a play
> > > area
> > > > so
> > > > > they would not normally be allowed to smoke there.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > We also state that the smoke or other fumes should not waft into
> > > units,
> > > > > for example, from balconies.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Sharon
> > > > > > ----
> > > > > > Sharon Villines
> > > > > > Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
> > > > > > http://www.takomavillage.org
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > _________________________________________________________________
> > > > > > Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info
> > at:
> > > > > > http://L.cohousing.org/info
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > _________________________________________________________________
> > > > > Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info
> at:
> > > > > http://L.cohousing.org/info
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > _________________________________________________________________
> > > > Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
> > > > http://L.cohousing.org/info
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > _________________________________________________________________
> > > Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
> > > http://L.cohousing.org/info
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > _________________________________________________________________
> > Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
> > http://L.cohousing.org/info
> >
> >
> >
> >
> _________________________________________________________________
> Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
> http://L.cohousing.org/info
>
>
>
>