Boston Votes to Raise Tobacco Purchase Age to 21

In a unanimous vote on Thursday night, the Boston Public Health Commission decided to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21-years-old, a change that will go into effect on Feb. 15, 2016.

The commission also approved a new rule that will bar anyone under the age of 21 from entering retail tobacco stores or smoking bars, and removes all flavored tobacco products other than menthol from stores that do not limit access to adults only, such as convenience and grocery stores.

The proposal found itself on the fast track to a vote after Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced his intention to seek the increase in mid-November. It becomes by far the biggest score in the movement to raise the age to purchase tobacco products statewide to 21, something more than 80 cities have signed onto.

In a statement issued after the vote, Walsh said that “we know the consequences of tobacco use are real and can be devastating; these changes send a strong message that Boston takes the issue of preventing tobacco addiction seriously.”

Boston is the capitol of Massachusetts and its largest city, 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, the G-League's Valley Suns, 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.