A woman smokes a cigarette on the beach. Getty Images/serafinomurru
A woman smokes a cigarette on the beach. Getty Images/serafinomurru
Smoke ’em if you’ve got ’em, because you won’t be able to for long on New Jersey’s beaches.
Gov. Phil Murphy has signed legislation outlawing smoking on the state’s beaches. The new rules go into effect next year and bans smoking on all public beaches and in public parks.
Murphy said the measure will adress both health and environmental issues in the state, according to a report in the Asbury Park Press.
A first-time offender faces a $250 fine, while those could climb to $1,000 for a third offense.
The law does allow towns to set up smoking areas on beaches or in parking lots—spaces that will probably be even more crowded than your typical packed New Jersey beaches.
But, as the Asbury report notes, most towns along the shore have already banned smoking on their beaches.
The legislature had passed earlier smoking ban measures, only to see them vetoed by then-Gov. Chris Christie, according to the report.
Quote of the Day: “While many of us may look out and see white sand and surf, others regrettably see the Jersey Shore as a roughly 130-mile-long ashtray.” — Gov. Phil Murphy, signing a smoking ban for New Jersey beaches.
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