Smoking still allowed on Oregon’s Beaches, Nov. 14

A proposal aimed at making it illegal to smoke on Oregon’s beaches will be shelved for now. The Oregon State Parks and Recreation Dept. was considering the plan, but officials deemed it would be too difficult to enforce over the 362-miles of beaches between California to the south and the State of Washington to the north. The proposed rule was aimed at eliminating second-hand smoke, but also to address the litter issue of cigarette butts. Parks officials instead are going to try to educate beachgoers with new signage and more cigarette-friendly trash receptacles. Some studies have shown that it takes up to 25-years for a cigarette butt to breakdown in the environment.