CALIFORNIA SMOKING BAN -- AT THE BEACH?

Christian Science Monitor ^ | March 22, 2004 | Daniel B. Wood

[Stu Cohen]

6,000+ cigarette butts in a one hour cleanup? Cigarette butts accounted for 60% of the beach's trash? Yikes!

The butts themselves weigh 1/100th of a soda can ... so there would have to be an awful lot of them.

When it comes to PR, tobacco smokers are their own worst enemies.

[Savage Beast]

When the "Liberal"-nazis and the Islamo-nazis finally succeed in destroying the US and establishing the taliban here, it's going to be fun to watch them fight it out over what's to be banned and who's going to be forced to do what. I hope we'll be able to see the humor.

[BkBinder]

Does this mean that I can complain about the stupid bonfires that people light and leave lit for days? Inhaling the smoke from those have ruined a whole lot more of my runs than cigarette smoking ever has.

This appears to be a money-grabbing, PC effort rather than thoughtful policy but, hey, that's California, the land that I loved that I left.

[Conspiracy Guy]

The numbers are a lie. Charge but chunkers with littering. The air pollution statement is absurd. More smoke gnatsy crap

[whereasandsoforth]

Ah, the human lung. The socialists' most sacred of all body organs. God bless socialist for their purity.

And all those tax dollars wasted on beach clean-up. Those poor civil servants having to work instead of leaning against a post.

[Stu Cohen]

Does this mean that I can complain about the stupid bonfires that people light and leave lit for days? Inhaling the smoke from those have ruined a whole lot more of my runs than cigarette smoking ever has.

Probably. I believe fires are already illegal on all LA Basin beaches.

I've never encountered one. And bonfires certainly do not generate 60% of the beach's trash.

My kids can't build a sand castle near the Santa Monica Pier without getting at least one cigarette butt per handful of sand.

Littering is still illegal. I think.

There appears to be too many "the world is my ashtray" smokers ... who are failing to police themselves and are pretty much begging for these kinds of laws. When you have 6,000 butts in a one hour beach cleanup, who are you going to blame? The left wing PC crowd? You think they went and dumped them there?

This appears to be a money-grabbing, PC effort rather than thoughtful policy but, hey, that's California, the land that I loved that I left.

I disagree. Putting recreational drug use where it belongs, in private, is a good thing, IMHO. And discouraging littering is good too. I have seen few smokers at the beach who bring their own ashtray. Most of them see the beach as one big one.

[DumpsterDiver]

The numbers are a lie.

This does seem like a lot of BS, doesn't it? "After a routine beach cleanup produced 6,300 butts in one hour at the 1.5-mile-long Solana Beach..."

Charge but chunkers with littering.

What the heck does that mean?

[Stu Cohen]

The numbers are a lie.

How do you know? What were the real numbers?

Everything anti-smoking is a lie. Everything pro-smoking is the voice of reason. It's the effect of the drug *shrug*

Charge but chunkers with littering.

I guess they are being proactive. The law is the will of the people. Much like the illegality of pot. Democracy in action.

The air pollution statement is absurd. More smoke gnatsy crap

Yes, yes, it's all absurd. We all know drug use and littering are good. To state otherwise is nazi-esque.

[Stu Cohen]

And all those tax dollars wasted on beach clean-up. Those poor civil servants having to work instead of leaning against a post.

Ah, so you see littering as providing employment?

Interesting.

Should we all eschew trashcans in order to put our tax dollars to work?

[snooker]

It really isn't funny. Before the cops started cracking down on littering, our beach looked like an ashtray.

I think litter laws are the answer. That's what happened here. Now there is little trash and most carry a litter bag when lounging.

Better for all, simple solution. The smoke issue is just smoke.

[unixfox]

Kalifornians gave em an inch and they (the so-called government) took a hundred miles.

I can't wait to see what FREEDOMS Kalifornains allow to be taken next. Unfortunately it appears to be happening nationwide and nobody seems to care.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Sorry. Don't ban smoking. Enforce littering. If I throw my cigarette on the beach, I am littering.

CG

[Stu Cohen]

This does seem like a lot of BS, doesn't it? "After a routine beach cleanup produced 6,300 butts in one hour at the 1.5-mile-long Solana Beach..."

Been to a local LA beach lately?

I thought the numbers were on the low side. When a larger beach cleanup was initiatiated, 60% of the 240 pounds of trash was cigarette butts. I was only suprised at that because cigarette butts hardly weigh anything. In light of that, that is a pretty damn high percentage. It says something almost pathological about smokers in general.

Unless, of course, it's all just a big conspiracy. Which most smokers will see it as. It's the effect of the drug.

[Stu Cohen]

You're one of the biggest horse's patooties on Free Republic.

I will accept your criticism.

I believe that it is unkind to reply unkindly to anyone in the throws of drug addiction. I understand your need to lash out. It's not your fault. It's the effect of the drug.

[Stu Cohen]

Kalifornians gave em an inch and they (the so-called government) took a hundred miles.

I think it had overwhelming public support. Isn't that a good thing?

They don't allow alcohol on the beach either. Is that something that we should be concerned about?

[whereasandsoforth]

They will be employed to clean the beach with or without cigarette butts, so their employment, or lack thereof, is a moot point.

[Conspiracy Guy]

OK. Ban softdrinks. Ban beer. Ban disposable diapers. Ban anything that someone may throw down.

Litter laws already exist but are not enforced. I'm saying enforce them. Would you rather find a diaper full of crap or a 3,000 cigarette butts.

Ban automobiles so people can't speed.

I am not pro illeagl drugs. I am against the government slowly positioning tobacco to be the next illegal drug. You think it's just tobacco, (I don't have a problem with bans inside public buildings), but open your eyes, fatty foods are next. Then your guns.

CG

[Conspiracy Guy]

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