Smoking Banned in East Lyme Parks and Beaches

Smoking bans in public parks and beaches have been a matter of much debate in but in East Lyme, a smoking ban went into effect on July 15 with very little fanfare.

That may be because the ban isn’t an ordinance, which would have had to be approved by the Board of Selectmen. Instead, it’s a Parks and Recreation policy and the East Lyme Parks and Recreation Department has a great deal of autonomy when it comes to setting rules for public parks.

No dogs, no skateboards, and now, no smoking.

Many people weren’t even aware a ban had been proposed until they saw the "no smoking" signs, which are now displayed prominently at the entrances to Hole in the Wall Beach, McCook Point Park, Peretz Park at Bridebrook, and Veterans Memorial Park.

Ledge Light Health District is encouraging all towns to adopt a no smoking policy for public parks. Some, such as Montville, have but in New London a recent proposal to ban smoking . The impetus for this ban, however, came not from a health organization but from group of East Lyme High School students.

“There was a presentation by a group of students from the high school to the Parks and Recreation Commission,” said Dave Putnam, director of East Lyme Parks and Recreation Department. “Parks and Recreation approved it on June 7.”

The East Lyme High School Student Advisory Board, which made the presentation, comprises 30 students whose mission is to encourage kids to make positive decisions and to come up with ways to deter their peers from using drugs or alcohol.

“This year they wanted to curtail tobacco use among their peers,” says Sarah Butterfield, program director for East Lyme Youth Services who also serves as the group’s advisor. “The beach was a problem. They kept saying it’s so gross that people smoke there and there are kids around and the smoke lingers in the air, and they’ve all done research on the health risks.

"It was very specific as to where they wanted to make sure kids aren’t exposed to smoke,” she adds.