Add Danvers to the list of more than 50 cities and towns in Massachusetts that have increased the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21-years-old, as the city’s board of health improved the increase at its most recent meeting.

The decision to increase the minimum age was a unanimous one, according to Wicked Local.

Cigars must also now carry a minimum price of $2.50 if sold individually, and all self-serve displays of tobacco products are now banned. Additionally, the board expanded its definition of what is considered a tobacco product, expanding it to include electronic cigarettes, vaping devices and hookahs. Sales of tobacco products in hospitals and educational institutions are also now banned, as are sales within 500 feet of a school.

The board is also making it tougher for new retailers to get tobacco sales permits and will be conducting random inspections as well as fining retailers in violation with an initial fine of $100 and seven-day suspension of their license that goes up to $300 and a permanent suspension of their license for repeat offenders.

Danvers has a population of approximately 27,000 people and is located in the northeastern corner of the state, about 20 miles north of Boston.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.