Newton, Mass. Passes Generational Tobacco Ban

Last April, Newton, Mass. began exploring whether to ban anyone born after 2003 from purchasing tobacco products or e-cigarettes in the Boston suburb. On Tuesday, Newton councilors voted 19-4 to pass such a ban.

There was one somewhat minor change, albeit very impactful if you were born in the first 60 days of 2004. The law that passed bans anyone born after March 1, 2004 from purchasing those products.

A press release from the City of Newton says that it is the 13th juridiscition in Massachusetts to pass a generational tobacco ban, a law that bans anyone born after a specific date from purchasing tobacco products. Last year, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld a local law passed in Brookline, Mass. that banned anyone born after Jan. 1, 2000 from ever purchasing tobacco products and e-cigarettes.

In November, a trio of legislators said they would introduce a statewide generational tobacco ban bill in the Massachusetts General Court, the state’s legislature, though no bill appears to have yet been filed. While similar bills have been introduced in other states, so far, no state has passed such a ban.

Newton is a Boston suburb with a population of around 90,000.

Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.