The Peabody Board of Health will vote this Thursday, Aug. 27, on a proposal that would increase the minimum age to purchase tobacco products in the town of some 52,000 residents.

If approved, Peabody would join 72 other cities and towns in the state to increase the age to 21. There has been a city-by-city push to raise the age led by Drs. Lester Hartman and Jonathan Winickoff, part of which has come in response to the matter not being taken up by the state legislature.

The change would go into effect 120 days following the passage, according to the proposal’s text.

Peabody is located 13 miles northeast of Boston.

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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 MLB.com, 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.