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Hi Patricia,

I hope that you had a good Memorial Day yesterday, and Happy Tuesday!

Thank you for your question - I think it's lovely that you are considerate enough of others to ask this question on Yahoo! Answers to make sure that you are doing the right thing.

On public beaches, it's fine to smoke as long as you do not go near people who are obviously non-smokers or who are elders and children. A big smoking etiquette rule is to stay away from children and from the elderly as well.

The fact that you segregate yourself from other people is good and shows consideration. If people come and sit close to you, Patricia, then they are probably not very bothered by your cigarette smoke. However, if they come and sit close to you and you feel guilty, a good thing to do is to simply say to them, "Excuse me, is my cigarette smoke bothering you?"

I hope that this helped you, Patricia, and I hope that you have a great rest of the week!

Please do not hesitate to send me a message if you ever have any other questions.

Sincerely,

Nina @ The Proper Lady Blog

http://www.theproperlady.com/

[email protected]

I understand the guilt you feel, im the same when I light up a cigarette, its like im being made to feel like I have a contagious disease or something lol but no, I dont think your doing anything wrong, as others have already said, your using an ashtray and not just throwing it on the floor and if people dont like it then its tough, theres a whole beach, they dont have to sit next to you.

I find the worse offenders are ex smokers, they seem to believe theyre now better than us just because they no longer smoke, ignore the stares and carry on lol

A public beach is just that, public. Since no laws have been past here in states that I am aware of I say smoke. I am a smoker and I smoke at beach, though I don't chain smoke. I pick up after myself, I usually won't smoke if surrounded by people too closely, I can walk about and smoke. Smoking is not advantageous for our health but it isn't you who feels ashamed all on your own, we have been lead to feel ashamed due to smart marketing campaigns in this country funded by health insurers who want more reasons to not accept more members and especially to have reason not to pay bills.

A public beach is public and open...if I have to deal with others screaming *** kids etc. then they will just have to deal with seeing me smoke. The average driver's car will create more pollution in a month then a smoker will during a 60 year life span...I don't see commercials telling us to give up our cars. Nope, that would hinder big auto and insurance sales, see how that goes!

I think smoking is disgusting, but as long as you make an effort to isolate yourself from anyone who might be bothered by your smoke and you don't leave your butts on the beach, that's okay. I definitely would avoid someone who was smoking. And If I sat next to someone who wasn't (when I picked my spot) and that person lit up a cigarette, I'd be pretty annoyed.

That said, I'm not a beach person, so I rarely go.

But really, you can't go two measly hours without a cancer stick?

As someone mentioned, unless there is a law or civic ordinance disallowing smoking. . . no rules.

I think common sense courtesy applies, that's all - when you arrive, choose a spot that is fairly isolated. If someone that objects to buttskies plops down next to you, they are free to pack it up and move fifty paces up the beach. Make sure the stubs go in the garbage, or come with you to dispose of later.

I get frustrated when smokers are characterized as thoughtless. Most of us are not - at least, no more than non-smokers. DO not feel guilty - there are any number of habits I find unappealing, but it simply isn't my place to tell someone to knock it off. We all must tolerate one another as best we can.

I think you're doing everything you need to, since you're using an ashtray and not leaving a mess of cig butts laying around. Smoking outdoors is still legal, so people are just going to have to deal.

Smoking itself doesn't bother me as long as there is no cigarette butt left on the beach because that is unnecessary littering. People are addicted to their toxic chemial perfumes so I find it funny that people get in such an uproar over cigarette smoke when perfume is just as bad if not worse for one's health and has many of the same chemicals.

I think it really depends on how busy the beach is. I wouldn't smoke on a crowded beach just as I wouldn't smoke in a crowded shopping mall.

The way I see it is...if you are already smoking and people come and sit close to you, it probably doesn't bother them very much or else they wouldn't come near you. I think everything you are doing is enough. If they don't like it, they can sit somewhere else...you're already trying to be polite by staying away from others.

I might attempt to to find someplace away from others. There need to be a less crowded part of the seashore. Since it's open air, I suppose it is suited to smoke, you can't rather divide up the seashore. Just ensure you toss your butts in a can - simply not the sand. I smoke too, when on the seaside i try to now not sit next to a household with plenty of youngsters...I do not suppose it can be correct to smoke close kids. If it can be a rather crowded seaside, just stand up and take your smoke break free from the entire folks.