RI may snuff out smoking on its public beaches
PROVIDENCE, R.I.—On a fall day in 2010 nearly 2,100 volunteers scoured Rhode Island's beaches for litter. They carried off syringes, glass bottles and refrigerators -- and 43,600 cigarette butts.
A Rhode Island lawmaker is hoping to reduce the trash by making the Ocean State the first to ban smoking at all public beaches. Rep. Richard Morrison's proposal would also apply to public parks, playgrounds and pedestrian plazas.
"The state has the right to protect the health of our citizens," said Morrison, D-Bristol. "I'm not trying to take away anyone's rights, but we no longer allow smoking in the workplace, in restaurants, on buses. I don't think it's a good idea to allow it where families and young children are."
Most states now restrict smoking in indoor public areas, and cities including New York and San Diego prohibit smoking at community beaches. Maine bans smoking at its state beaches, but the prohibition doesn't extend to local beaches.
Rhode Island's statewide smoking ban was enacted in 2005 and covers bars, restaurants and almost all other indoor public locations. If Morrison's measure passes, Rhode Island would be the first state to outlaw smoking at all public beaches, according to the American Lung Association.
There's no vote scheduled for the legislation. No group testified in opposition at a recent hearing on the proposal, though state environmental officials expressed some concern about how they would enforce a smoking ban.
Opponents are easier to find outside the Statehouse. East Providence resident Richard Haynes said proposals to expand the state's smoking ban go too far.
"I don't see how people can get cancer from a cigarette that's smoked in the open air," he said as he puffed on a cigarette in Kennedy Plaza, a busy outdoor area in downtown Providence. "I think it's getting a little ridiculous."
Smoker Tarrah Nickerson of West Warwick, however, said she understands that many Rhode Islanders would like to keep tobacco smoke out of their beaches or parks. She said lawmakers should consider designated smoking areas at state beaches.
Environmental groups are lining up to support the proposed ban, noting that cigarette butts are the most common type of litter found on beaches and in state waterways.
Besides being an eyesore, cigarette filters contain concentrated amounts of chemicals contained in tobacco smoke, making them hazardous to humans and wildlife that may come into contact with them, according to Eugenia Marks of the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, one of several groups that participated in the 2010 coastal cleanup.
"There are instances where toddlers pick them up and put them in their mouths," she said. "Animals may ingest them. In addition to the litter issues and the health issues, it's an issue of ocean health."
