Monday was a good day for the anti-tobacco crowd in Massachusetts, as the movement to raise the minimum purchase age to 21 scored another victory while fans of smoking bans got a win as well. The Belchertown Board of Health implemented a new smoking ban that will apply to all town-owned lands, including beaches, parks and outside of town-owned buildings. It also amended existing laws to prohibit smoking outside of bars and restaurants where food is served. The smoking ban component will go into effect on July 1, while the minimum age to purchase tobacco products and related paraphernalia goes up on January 1, 2017, a delay that they say will give businesses time to prepare, according to MassLive.com. Belchertown is a suburb of Springfield, Mass. and is located approximately 80 miles west of Boston. It has a 2010 population estimate of 14,649 residents.
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