The fight to ban smoking at city beaches and parks is heating up today as dozens of activists hold a rally in Coney Island. "Everyone has a right to breathe clean air, whether it is at the beach or park or bar," said Sheelah Feinberg of the Coalition for a Smoke-Free City, which is sponsoring the gathering.

City Health Commissioner Thomas Farley pitched the idea last fall as part of his plan for a healthier city. The American Cancer Association backs the move. The Parks Department could impose the requirement or the City Council could make it a law - but neither has.

Feinberg said butts on the beach are a big litter problem as well as a health hazard. "We want kids playing on the beach to pick up seashells, not cigarette butts," she said.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2010/06/10/2010-06-10_coney_rally_wants_butts_off_beach.html#ixzz0qRv1y8WS

(By Kathleen Lucadamo, NY Daily News, 10/06/2010)