Fall River, Mass. Raises Tobacco Purchase Age to 21

At its most recent meeting, the Fall River Board of Health voted unanimously to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21-years-old, with the increase scheduled to go into effect on Dec. 30, just ahead of the state’s increase and which ensures that the age will apply to all purchasers.

Because of the way the state’s increase was written, individuals who attained the age of 18 before Dec. 31, 2018 would be allowed to continue purchasing tobacco products, though they would 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 Dec. 30, 2018. Fall River’s ordinance ensures that anyone who attempts to purchase tobacco products as of Jan. 1 will have to be at least 21-years-old, and eases the burden on retailers to have to determine whether someone is of age.

A number of cities have been passing similar legislation as of late in order to standardize the minimum age ahead of the new year, including Hingham, Dighton and Swansea.

Fall River is home to just under 90,000 residents and is located 55 miles south 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.