This would be a non-issue were it not for the simple fact that many (most?) smokers treat the world as their ashtray. Littering is illegal but when a group of lazy, inconsiderate slobs see it as their "right" to trash the beach, people that don't agree with that will react.

Don't look at the people that want a cleaner beach as the enemy, look at your fellow smokers, the pathetic ones that can't be bothered to pick up after themselves. They're the ones driving this push.