Braintree, Mass. Schedules Vote on Raising Minimum Purchase Age to 21

A proposal to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21 in Braintree, Mass. has been scheduled for a vote by the city council, who will decide the matter at its June 19 meeting. The announcement came at the end of a public hearing on May 15, the culmination of a nearly month-long fact-finding mission that was laid out by council chairman Dr. Philip Nedelman.

Should the proposal pass, it would go into effect on October 1 and target retailers who sell tobacco products to those under age, with first-time fines starting at $100 and escalating to $300 and a 10-day suspension of the store’s tobacco sales permit for a second offense. A third violation would bring on a 30-day suspension of the sales permit and a $500 fine, while a fourth violation would mean a retailer would lose its license for a year and have to pay a $500 fine.

The change would also apply to e-cigarettes and other nicotine delivery devices, according to WickedLocal.

Braintree is a suburb south of Boston with approximately 35,000 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.