Somerville, Mass. Raising Minimum Tobacco Purchasing Age, Passes Tobacco Restrictions & Smoking Ban

A new year, another city in Massachusetts where you will need to be at least 21-years-old to purchase tobacco. The Somerville Board of Health passed changes that will see the minimum age to purchase tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, raise to 21. But that’s not all. According to the Boston Globe, tobacco products will no longer be able to be sold at pharmacies and flavored tobacco products will be outlawed with the exception Robbins Cigar Co., which was grandfathered in. In addition, smoking will be illegal in outdoor areas of restaurant and bars, within 50 feet of a public building and banned in all hotels and nursing homes. Somerville joins over 60 municipalities in the state which have raised the minimum age to purchase tobacco to 21. Two pediatricians, Dr. Lester Hartman and Dr. Jonathan Winickoff, have led a localized movement to raise the minimum age throughout Massachusetts. In addition, a variety of statewide measures have been proposed, as well as similar legislation on the federal level. Somerville is located in Middlesex County. The Boston suburb has a population of around 80,000.