Belmont raising age to purchase tobacco to 19 come August

Belmont Health Department, in an attempt to regulate the sale of tobacco products to minors, has decided to raise the age to purchase tobacco in the town of Belmont to 19 come Aug. 1. “Each town has the ability to make local regulations,” said Stefan Russakow, Health director. As most cities and towns are, Belmont Health Department is granted the authority to make local regulations by Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 111, Section 21. Belmont Health Department started looking to raise the age to purchase tobacco last winter, when one of the board members read an article that Needham had just raised their age to purchase tobacco from 19 to 21.

During a meeting following Needham’s decision, Belmont Health Department considered the rational behind the age change. The board decided that by raising the age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 19, they could keep tobacco products, primarily cigarettes, out of Belmont High School. “By raising the age to purchase tobacco to 19,” said Russakow. “We’re preventing those students that are 18 years-old in the high school from buying the cigarettes, sharing the cigarettes, selling the cigarettes, or whatever the case, to their friends. It makes the access a little more difficult.” Russakow said he and the board did not know the rationale behind Needham’s choice to raise the age to purchase tobacco from 19 to 21.

“We felt 19 was a fair number considering the level of access we’re trying to accomplish,” said Russakow. As do most cities and towns, Belmont has had tobacco access regulations for many years. “Almost all cities and towns model their regulations around the Massachusetts community and the Massachusetts Public Health Control Program,” said Russakow. “We restrict certain businesses, such as hookah bars, cigar sales, and where and how you can buy tobacco.” The Board of Health is one of the few boards with authority to make such regulations within cities and towns. “An example of one of our regulations is the hookah bars,” said Russakow.

“When hookah bars become popular, we decided to restrict them in the town of Belmont. It’s not so much that we’re concerned about a certain ethnic population, but rather a group of kids who think it’s really neat to sit around and share one of those. The board just didn’t feel that was appropriate. Other cities and towns are even considering restricting machines that allow a person to make their own cigarettes. With these cigarette machines, a person could buy a bag of tobacco and cigarette papers, and with the press of a button, create hundreds of cigarettes for the possible consuming, sharing, or selling.