Jump to full article: Philadelphia (PA) Inquirer, 2009-09-29
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Intro: While a smoking ban on beaches and parks may secure New Jersey's standing as a leading nanny state, it would be a savvy economic strategy to bolster the state's billion-dollar tourism industry while saving lives.
A couple of Shore towns have already enacted smoking limits. But at the rate individual communities are going to ban smoking on the beaches, it could take years to safeguard large numbers of bathers from the health risks of secondhand smoke.
Even better, a North Jersey lawmaker, State Sen. Barbara Buono (D., Middlesex), plans to introduce a measure to ban smoking on all 127 miles of Jersey beaches and in parks, citing "empirical data which support the passage of this public-health and environmental-protection measure." . . .
Jersey also stands to gain from the growth of ecotourism by visitors eager to bird-watch at the Shore and hike and climb in the parks. Clearing the air at the Shore and in the parks would only enhance the state's attraction for these visitors.
There's certainly room for a spirited debate later this fall on Buono's smoking bans in parks, but her proposal to ban lighting up at the Shore is a winner.
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