LEWES, Del. - The Lewes City Council voted Monday night to ban smoking regular and e-cigarettes on all beaches. Currently, the city has a ban at parks, but now will expand to be all-encompassing.

According to Councilmember Bonnie Osler, who spearheaded the ban, eliminating litter as well as protecting public health were the main reasons.

"I think getting second hand smoke off of the beaches is a good health move for people," she said. "Reducing littering is a good health move and again it means we have the same rules in all of our parks and beaches so we're uniform in our approach."

Osler said the reason they included e-cigarettes was because although there is not conclusive evidence against second-hand smoke, there are still potential health problems associated with the vapors.

"It's true that people on a beach may smell a cigarette that someone is smoking but that's not the cause for a ban," he explained. "That's the cause for a sensible rule where you just ask the person please don't smoke or move to a different location where their smoke is not effecting others."

He also questioned the e-cigarette portion of the ban.

But according to Osler, following in the footsteps of other beaches across the country will benefit the city in the long term.

"We all want to use the beaches and so we all have to play by the same rules in order to make it a safe and happy experience for everyone," she said.

The American Lung Association is providing a $10,214 grant for the signage and implementation of this ban. Osler said she does not expect the city to issue many citations as people start to learn about the ban, unless there is any flagrant violations.

To learn more about e-cigarettes on Delmarva, read the story on vaping by WBOC's Michael Chesney here.

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Lewes Bans Beach Smoking