NEW YORK — New York state stands to generate more than $2 billion in sales if Gov. Andrew Cuomo is able to make good on his pledge to legalize recreational marijuana.

But with the dangers of secondhand marijuana smoke not quite clear, some are calling for stricter enforcement of no smoking rules, especially in public housing.

"It's everywhere!" says Malia Vazquez, 13, who lives at the Fulton Houses complex in Chelsea. "It travels down the staircases. It's in the elevators. It's in the hallway. It's downstairs inside the lobby."

The pungent odor that occasionally drifts into the Manhattan apartment of Vazquez and her father, Hector, sometimes comes from cigarettes. Other times, it's from people smoking marijuana.

"I'm trying to raise my family in a safe, healthy environment, and keep myself well," says Vazquez. "I can't exactly do that when I have cigarette smoke or marijuana smoke wafting into my apartment from the hallways."

Hector Vazquez suffers from respiratory issues. He's also concerned about the possible danger secondhand smoke poses to his daughter, a concern mirrored by the medical community.

Now, researchers say it's a problem in the city's public housing developments, where a ban on smoking is rarely enforced.

"We did find that it was much, much more common to experience marijuana smoke in NYCHA housing in particular," says Karen Wilson, MD, MPH, with Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Wilson is the lead researcher behind a new study on secondhand marijuana smoke that's been published in the medical journal, Academic Pediatrics.

With Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposing to legalize the recreational use of pot, Wilson believes laws and regulations that limit smoking in multi-unit housing need to be enforced. She says while research on the effects of secondhand marijuana smoke on children is still evolving, the fact that many of the chemicals in tobacco smoke are found in marijuana smoke should not be taken lightly.

"We're concerned that the same type of thing could be happening with very low levels of marijuana smoke exposure," Wilson says. "We worry that those levels could impact children's cognitive development."

And while there are many signs posted at the Fulton Houses making it clear that smoking is not allowed inside or within 25 feet of any NYCHA building, Malia Vazquez sometimes feel helpless trying to get neighbors to stop.

"You can't do much about that except ask people to maybe smoke somewhere else," says Vazquez.

In a statement, the housing authority said, "NYCHA works to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke through enforcement of repeated violations and extensive public health education. Our policies are consistent with HUD regulations and we work with government partners at all levels to ensure residents live in safe and healthy homes. Any change in marijuana policies affecting the Authority will continue to be followed in accordance with federal guidelines and the close direction of HUD."

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