Playa del Carmen, Q.R. — Areas once marked for smoking are being removed from all Playa del Carmen beaches. The head of Solidaridad Zofemat says that in their place, notices will remind people that smoking in public spaces is now against the law.
María de Lourdes Várguez, the Director of the Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone (Zofemat) for Solidaridad, says that all ashtrays and areas once marked for smokers are being removed from all municipal beaches.
She said that there is a lot of environmental awareness in Playa del Carmen regarding cigarette butts on beaches, but still, the new laws need to be brought in a little at a time.
“It has to be little by little. It cannot be implemented drastically,” she said adding that “there is a lot of environmental awareness in our municipality. What we are going to start doing is picking up ashtrays, removing signs where it indicated that smoking was allowed,” she said.
Várguez said that it will not be easy, especially with tourists, but Zofemat personnel will be placing signs in strategic places informing everyone that smoking on beaches is now against the law.
On January 15, reforms to the General Law for Tobacco Control entered into force making it illegal to smoke in public spaces across Mexico.