News Article
Boston raises tobacco-buying age to 21
From Boston Globe
The Walsh administration has raised the age to buy cigarettes and other tobacco products to 21. The change goes into effect on Feb. 15.
The city’s Board of Health voted this week to increase the legal age to buy smoking products to 21, a move the administration said adds Boston to the list of more than 85 other communities across the state.
According to the administration, the new rules now require people to be 21 in order to buy tobacco products, e-cigarettes and in order to enter “smoking bars” and adult-only retail tobacco stores. The rules also limit the sale of flavored tobacco and nicotine products other than menthol to adult-only retailers.
Our Take
By raising the legal age of sale for tobacco to 21, Boston lawmakers have found an apt way to close out a year when teen cigarette use again reached historic lows. Through action in Boston and communities across the country, we can make this the generation that ends tobacco use.
