A pair of towns in Franklin County, Mass. are holding public hearings this week to get feedback on the possibility of raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21.
Montague’s health board held its hearing on Monday, while Leverett has a meeting scheduled for Wednesday night. It’s a trend that has been increasingly popular in the state, with more than a dozen towns and cities passing some sort of age increase, including Framingham, which passed the change less than a month ago. Scituate, Melrose, Salem, Saugus, Wayland and Braintree have also passed increases this year.
The towns are also looking at banning the sale of flavored tobacco, with the exemption of menthol.
Montague Director of Public Health Gina McNeely told Recorder.com that she expects both towns to vote on the issue in February 2015.
Montague has a population of approximately 8,500 people, while Leverett has just under 1,900 residents. Both towns are located about 90 miles west of Boston.