The Braintree, Mass. Board of Health voted 2-0 on June 19 to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products in the town from 18 to 21, a change that will go into effect on October 1. Like several other bills around the country that have been raised the minimum purchase age, Braintree’s new law goes after sellers, with a five-day suspension of a retailer’s tobacco sales permit for a first violation, a $100 fine and a mandatory training program for all employees that sell tobacco that must be completed within 30 days. Second violations carry a 10-day suspension of the permit and a $300 fine, while third offenses will cost a retailer $500 as well as a 30-day suspension of the sales permit. Should a business be found in violation of the new age requirement a fourth time, its license can be suspended for a year. The new age requirement also applies to e-cigarettes and other nicotine delivery devices. Braintree is a suburb south of Boston with approximately 35,000 residents.
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