HAMPTON, N.H. (AP) — Officials in a New Hampshire town say it will be too difficult to enforce a resident-supported advisory petition that bans smoking at two beaches.
Residents passed the petition on Town Meeting Day on March 13. The Portsmouth Herald reports petitioner Anthony Curro says cigarette smoke infringes on beachgoers’ rights to breathe fresh air. He hoped for a ban with no-smoking signs posted at the town-owned beaches, Plaice Cove and Sun Valley.
Town Manager Fred Welch said if there were a ban, it would take a court complaint to find a violator guilty, which he described as “almost impossible.” Police Chief Richard Sawyer said a ban wouldn’t be a “high priority” for his officers. Town selectmen said they most likely won’t support it.
Curro noted Rye passed a similar petition. When told about it, most smokers put out their cigarettes.
(Copyright (c) 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)