Boston Mayor Wants Tobacco Age Increased

The movement to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products in Massachusetts seems to have finally reached its biggest city, as Boston mayor Martin J. Walsh announced this week that he is formally proposing that the minimum age to purchase any tobacco product or electronic smoking device be raised from 18 to 21.

The mayor joined with the city’s public health commission in making the announcement, with the change coming as early as the end of the year. The Boston Board of Health will hold a public hearing on Dec. 3 and then vote on the idea at its Dec. 17 meeting. If approved, the changes could be in effect by March 2016.

In addition, people under 21 would be prohibited from entering retail tobacco shops or cigar bars, flavored tobacco products (other than menthol) would be limited to tobacco specialty retailers, and several regulations regarding the sale of tobacco would be streamlined.

Boston is home to just over 655,000 residents, while the surrounding metropolitan area has 4.6 million residents.

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.