Should the Federal Government Ban Smoking in Public Housing?

In one sense, the case for a federal smoking ban in public housing is plain: Smoking is terrible, and smoking bans in public places are good for the public. Most landlords don’t allow their tenants to smoke indoors because smoking is a fire hazard; when it comes to public housing, the federal government is like a super-landlord. Smoking is disgusting, of course. Ask House Speaker Paul Ryan what it’s like to move into an office whose previous occupant was a smoker.

At the same time: What the hell! Where do I get one of those Guy Fawkes masks? The the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is proposing to tell residents with very few housing options how to live in their own homes. Moreover, the federal government is stepping into a regulatory realm that is otherwise reserved for state and local government. This would be the only federal smoking ban.