Boston (AP) A few politicians from Massachusetts are trying to convince their fellow lawmakers to back a plan that would make the state the first to enact a law that would gradually outlaw the use of tobacco products.
Similar generational tobacco bans, which phase out tobacco usage based on a person’s birth year as well as age, have been considered in other places.
A 2018 Massachusetts law changed the legal age of purchase to 21 for all tobacco products, including cigars, cigarettes, and e-cigarettes. In an attempt to curb young people’s fascination with nicotine, Massachusetts has also outlawed the sale of any flavored tobacco products.
Legislators intend to submit the revised proposal next year, which would progressively stop the sale of all tobacco and nicotine products in an effort to reduce smoking. If the plan is passed, there won’t be any more new users since young people who aren’t old enough to legally buy tobacco and nicotine would never be allowed to do so in Massachusetts.
Marijuana would be exempt, and the deadline would be changed after it passed to guarantee that no one who was 21 years of age or older would be impacted.
The first town to ban smoking across generations
In 2020, Brookline, a town of over 63,000 people that is close to Boston, became the first municipality in the nation to enact such a law. The bylaw prohibits the sale of tobacco products to anybody born on or after January 1, 2000, rather than increasing the legal age of purchase. The regulation became operative in 2021.
That would imply that tobacco products would eventually be prohibited from being purchased in the town. Earlier this year, the state’s top court upheld the prohibition after considering a challenge to the measure.
Similar tobacco bans have already been enacted in Malden, Melrose, Reading, Stoneham, Wakefield, and Winchester, among other towns and cities in Massachusetts.
Uncertain support levels
One of the supporters of the statewide plan, Democratic state senator Jason Lewis, claimed that the bill will save many lives and make the world better for future generations.
“We all know that nicotine and tobacco products have terrible health effects, especially on our young people,” he stated.
In addition to being addictive, nicotine and tobacco products raise the risk of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and other diseases.
In 2024, about two out of five kids who had ever used a tobacco product were continuously using them, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which also reported that nearly nine out of ten adults who smoke cigarettes every day initially begun smoking before the age of 18.
The plan will disadvantage local mom-and-pop stores that depend heavily on cigarette sales, according to Peter Brennan, executive director of the New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association.
Additionally, it would disadvantage businesses that are close to neighboring states that permit the sale of cigarettes to all adults.
“That’s a bad idea,” he responded. In actuality, you’re merely denying adults the ability to buy a legitimate, age-restricted commodity.
He stated that earlier attempts at prohibition, such as previous prohibitions on gambling, alcohol, and marijuana, have failed and that it is probably unlawful to deny certain adults certain rights while leaving others unaffected.
The Legislature’s level of support for the plan is unknown.
In recent decades, Massachusetts has implemented additional measures to reduce smoking, such as increasing cigarette taxes. An incremental nationwide smoking ban would likely lower those taxes and eventually abolish them.
Lewis stated that lower healthcare expenses and other savings would more than outweigh any decrease in cigarette tax collection.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 10.4% of adults in the state reported smoking cigarettes in 2022.
Other locations considering similar prohibitions
Last year, some California politicians filed legislation to outlaw the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to anybody born after January 1, 2007, in an effort to outlaw all tobacco sales.
By requiring that tobacco never be sold to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, New Zealand became the first country to enact legislation in 2022 that would prohibit youths from purchasing smokes for the rest of their lives. Later, the law was repealed.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom suggested raising the legal age of cigarette purchase in England by one year each year until it is eventually prohibited for the entire population. Earlier this year, the idea was not approved.
The Associated Press, 2024. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. It is prohibited to publish, broadcast, rewrite, or redistribute this content without authorization.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!