chemqueries wrote:
wrote:

Does anyone know if such a thing as a *cigarette* smoke detector is
manufactured and sold? A friend I know is thinking of an investment
property he wants to lease as ABSOLUTELY non-cigarette-smoke-friendly.
He's at a loss how he could end a tenant's lease if there's no way of
legally entering and proving cigarette smoking is going on in a
building in our state (PA).


I've never heard of a cigarette smoke detector. Several years ago, I
read an article in the NEW YORK TIMES about the management of an
apartment building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan that wanted to
restrict the building so that all new tenants would be non-smokers. It
was hoped that, eventually, the building would be a smoke-free
building. All current tenants who smoked would not have been affected.
They could stay, but no new smokers would have been allowed in the
building. Apparently, some smokers started protesting and began legal
action even before the smoke-free proposal got off the ground. I don't
remember the details, such as whether it was a co-op or a rental
building. I vaguely remember one of the smokers saying that a
smoke-free building would be discriminatory. Another claimed that he
had a disability and, therefore, needed to smoke. I can't remember
whether he thought his disability was the need to smoke or whether he
had some other disability that forced him to stay at home all by his
lonesome self with no pleasures in life except the "pleasure" of
smoking -- or some such nonsense. Again, I don't have the details, but
you can probably search for it in the archives.

Frankly, I would LOVE to see smoke-free apartment buildings. Although I
am currently staying in a house, I have spent most of my adult life
living in apartment buildings, and I am sick of being exposed to
second-hand smoke. I hate the smell of cigarette smoke, and not a week
goes by when we don't hear of the dangers of second-hand smoke in the
news.

Perhaps, if your friend has a building smaller than eight or five
units, he might have more leeway as far as what he can dictate. In some
communities, tenants have more rights when the building has eight or
more units. Does your friend intend to live in the building? If so,
then perhaps he can tell prospective tenants that he or a family member
has severe, life-threatening asthma or bronchitis and cannot be exposed
to smoke.

I think stricter laws should be passed regarding non-smokers' rights.

I'd give you the right to stay home.

A