The public will get to weigh in on a possible ban on sales of tobacco and e-cigarette products to anyone who was born after 2003 in Malden, Massachusetts, at a board of health meeting on Wednesday night.
According to the public hearing agenda, any businesses that defy the ban could be fined and suspended.
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“I would support it at this point, but I do think we need to make sure there’s not other access to cigarettes that’s being provided,” city council member Stephen Winslow said.
Some businesses are not sold on the idea of the ban, saying sales will go up in smoke if they are not allowed to sell tobacco or e-cigarette products.
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“I heard that exact same thing as we worked to first create, you know, non-smoking sections in restaurants and then ultimately ban smoking and then, you know, restaurants have survived,” Winslow said.
Brookline recently passed its own generational bans on tobacco sales, leading other Massachusetts municipalities to follow suit.
On Wednesday, in response to the Brookline ban, Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts said on X:
“Boards of health taking away consumer choice small biz sales. Out of control & beyond their established roles. Their budgets should drop as small biz close doors cutting local tax collections.”
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The public hearing starts at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at city council chambers But, the board of health would not actually adopt the proposed ordinance until their next meeting.
