Bill Banning Smoking in State Beaches/Parks Takes Step Forward

The Assembly Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee has released the following pieces of legislation merged into one bill to ban smoking on state parks and beaches: A4021 (Mazzeo), A3798 (Calabrese), A1703 (Vainieri Huttle). Cigarettes have caused forest fires in the past and by allowing smoking in our parks we are putting them at risk for destruction. They could damage picnic areas or historic buildings. They could also set areas of beaches on fire, including picnic tables or boardwalks.

“It’s important that the ban on smoking in state parks and beaches is moving forward to protect our lands and our lungs. Having smoke free beaches and parks would encourage tourism, while protecting both our health and the environment. Cigarettes are a major source of litter and pollution, while also being a threat to public safety. A complete ban will not only benefit public health, but our environment. We are spending all this money rebuilding our beaches and now we should not turn them into ashtrays,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “We shouldn’t be turning our beaches into ashtrays or clouds of air pollution. Secondhand smoke can lead to health impacts, lung cancer, asthma and infections. Children are playing on the beach and they are breathing in secondhand smoke. Cigarettes also present environmental and safety problems, especially with the potential for boardwalk fires. It’s imperative that we ban smoking on beaches to protect residents and tourists.”

Cigarettes are an environmental problem. They can be ingested by animals and marine life or even children playing in the sand or at the park. Cigarette butts have been found in stomachs of animals like whales, sea turtles, and birds, which could lead to death. An article published in Current Environmental Health Reports, a scientific journal, found that around 4.5 to 6 trillion cigarettes worldwide do not end up in ashtrays instead littering our streets and beaches. Cigarettes contain toxins like nicotine and pesticides in their plastic fibers further harming the environment.

“Smoking is not only an environmental issue, but a health issue as well. Even when you set aside a smoking area on the beach it affects the people next to it and affects other people. People enjoying a day on the beach or at the park have to deal with second hand smoke. Towns have already put in place laws and ordinances dealing with smoking including Seaside Park which smoking is banned on all beaches and boardwalks. Long Branch and Sunset Beach in Cape May County are also smoke free. Smoking is banned on the boardwalk in Belmar, and on sections of its beaches,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “A stateside ban will benefit our environment, tourism, and public health.”