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Cigarette ban likely to pass in N.H., too

Publication Date: 2010-10-12
  • Author:Dave Choate
  • Publication:Portsmouth (NH) Herald

But opposition to proposals for state parks is expected to be more intense than in Maine

Maine's smoking ban on state beaches and in many areas of state parks was passed with little fanfare. You can bet your (cigarette) butts that it won't get by so easily in New Hampshire.

Following Maine's lead, a N.H. House subcommittee has taken two proposed bills, pulled them apart and is now discussing how to move forward with a partial smoking ban. While they're just discussing the idea with the public now and any action could be months away, there's a real possibility that a hybrid bill will be reintroduced that would effectively ban smoking at state beaches, and the public and lawmakers turned out recently for a feedback session in Rye.

There's likely to be a lot of debate over a law that ultimately would have no teeth...

Most surprising during the feedback session in the Rye Public Library was how little attention was paid to secondhand smoke, which often is the hot button issue associated with smoking bans in restaurants and other public spaces. The discussion instead focused on the staggering number of cigarette butts that end up in the sand.

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