Official: Smoking ban is a state issue

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) - A group that wants a ban on smoking on beaches along the Chesapeake Bay apparently will need permission from the state, not local authorities.

The Virginian-Pilot reports that the Chesapeake Bay Civic League voted this month in support of the ban and planned to ask the Virginia Beach City Council to enact it. But City Attorney Mark Stiles says the city would need authority from the General Assembly to ban smoking on Chesapeake Beach. He cites a previous opinion from the state attorney general's office saying localities can't prohibit smoking in areas other than those listed in the Virginia Indoor Clean Air Act.

Donny Damon, who's spearheading the effort, says he's not discouraged and plans to bring the issue to his state legislator.