April 6, 2016 Patrick Lagreid Age Restrictions,  Regulations,  Retail

Middleborough, Mass. Won’t Raise Tobacco Purchase Age but Increases Retailer Fines

One Massachusetts town isn’t jumping on the bandwagon to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products, instead choosing to increase the fines on retailers who sell to minors.

The Middleborough Board of Selectmen voted against the increase on Tuesday after board vice chairman Stephen McKinnon’s idea to motivate retailers not to sell to minors with heftier fines caught traction. According to a report Wicked Local, a tobacco sting operation conducted by the state cited 12 retailers  for selling cigarettes to minors. Of those 12, six were repeat offenders.

To provide some extra financial incentive to make sure they are only selling to people of age, the board approved an increase in the fines for repeat offenders. Second violations go from $200 to $500, while third and subsequent violations increase from $300 to $1,000. First time violators will stay face a $100 fine.

While the board discussed the idea of an increase to the minimum age to purchase tobacco, there was no interest among the selectman to pursue the idea.

Middleborough is located just over 40 miles south of Boston and is home to an estimated 23,116 people as of 2010.

Massachusetts Middlesborough Plymouth County tobacco purchasing age
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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 Major League Baseball, 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.

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