While Massachusetts has been a hotbed of cities and towns increasing the minimum age to purchase tobacco to 21-years-old, one town decided it won’t be joining the herd, as on Monday the Middleborough Board of Selectmen rejected a proposal to raise the tobacco purchasing age.

It was a close vote, with the board defeating it by a 3-2 vote according to SouthCoastToday.com, with one of the main objections coming from Selectman Steve McKinnion, who saw it as an issue for the state to decide as opposed to individual cities and towns.

Other selectmen cited the impact to local businesses as their reason for opposing the proposal.

The state legislature has had bills on its agenda for several years to raise the purchase age, with the most recent version stuck in committee, and last year’s version failing to receive a formal vote because of disagreements in the Massachusetts House.

Middleborough is located approximately 40 miles south of Boston and had a 2010 population estimate of 23,117 residents.

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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.