The acting superintendent of the Virgin Islands National Park has snuffed out the smoking lamp.
Mike Anderson ordered a ban on smoking that includes cigars, cigarettes, and pipes at all 12 VI protected beaches. It also prohibits smoking within 50 feet of the shoreline, according to a report in the Miami Herald.
Park Rangers are not yet writing tickets to offenders, the report added, “rather educating the public.”
Last month, Anderson said he might order the ban on smoking and invited public comments until Jan. 28.
It's not the health risks humans that prompted the ban. It's because of the debris smokers leave behind: butts, cellulose filters, cellophane, and packaging materials which can damage the environment and threaten ocean waters and marine life.