Cigar Weekly

CONCORD – About a dozen people came out today for a state House committee hearing on whether to ban smoking from state parks and beaches

     The House Resources, Regulation and Development Committee heard testimony on a bill that would ban smoking in all state parks and another that would prohibit it on state beaches.

     State Rep. Susan Kepner, D-Hampton, who sponsored the state parks bill, said she had received numerous complaints from her constituents about tobacco smoke wafting through Hampton Beach State Park. The bill, HB 1186, would restrict smoking in areas where people congregate, such as in front of restrooms, around a pavillion or at a gazeebo.

     But Ed Santamaria, the acting president of the Cigar Association of New Hampshire, said the bill doesn't say those areas would be exempt. "We think it will infringe on people's ability to enjoy New Hampshire, if they want to light up a cigar, sit by a campsite and enjoy themselves," said Santamaria.

     State Rep. Judith Day, D-North Hampton, who sponsored HB 1194, said Maine enacted a similar ban last year, which has been met with favorable results. Just like the ban on smoking in restaurants, she did not think it would end up hurting business.

     "I think this will enhance tourism," Day said. "People would like to come to a beach where they know there won't be smoking."

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