There's even sand mafias!
But seriously folks - I'm not so concerned about a shortage of sand. What does concern me is that there are a-holes who illegally run off with public property, to the detriment of others. See
the Tragedy of the Commons for additional information.
I never thought I'd have to think about the ethics of sand, but per the article, "The profits of this easy-to-get, hard-to-regulate material . . . have lured organized crime. In India and Bangladesh, 'sand mafias' have been implicated in the murder of hundreds of people in recent years."