Bourne, Mass. Raises Tobacco Purchase Age to 21

The Bourne Board of Health approved a proposal to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products in the town from 18 to 21-years-old, making it one of a growing group of municipalities to enact such legislation after a statewide increase was passed earlier this year.

One of the problems seen with the state’s bill is that it is gradual, containing a grandfather clause for persons who attained the age of 18 before that Dec. 31, 2018, when it goes into effect. However, those individuals will still be subject to any municipal ordinance or other regulation that prohibited sales of tobacco products or vapor products to persons under the age of 19, 20 or 21 in effect on December 30, 2018.

In the case of Bourne, the town’s increase will go into effect on Dec. 28, just ahead of the deadline. The proposal was passed during the board’s Oct. 24 meeting.

Bourne is home to just under 20,000 residents and is located in the southeastern part of the state, approximately 60 miles southeast of Boston.

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.