Wilmington Board Of Health Looking To Ban E-Cigarettes & Flavored Tobacco Products From Town’s Convenience Stores

WILMINGTON, MA — The Wilmington Board of Health is considering a ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products and nicotine delivery products (e.g., e-cigarettes) from convenience stores.

Such products would only be available for purchase at retail tobacco stores. Wilmington currently has just one such store — the Route 38 Smoke Shop (474 Main Street).

Specifically, a new section (8.24) is being proposed to the town’s Board of Health Regulations:

Sale of Flavored Tobacco Products Prohibited: No person shall sell or distribute or cause to be sold or distributed any flavored tobacco product or nicotine delivery device, flavored or otherwise, except in retail tobacco stores.

“E-cigarettes are now the most commonly used tobacco product among youth today,” Wilmington Health Director Shelly Newhouse told Wilmington Apple. “E-cigarette aerosol is not harmless. It can contain harmful and potentially harmful substances, including nicotine, heavy metals like lead, volatile organic compounds, and cancer-causing agents.”

“In an effort to try and curb the use of e-cigarettes and vaping, the Board is willing to enact regulations to make it more difficult to purchase these products,” continued Newhouse.  “Wilmington will be following in the footsteps of other adjacent Town’s if these new regulations pass. Currently, Billerica, Tewksbury and Burlington have enacted a flavored tobacco ban.”

In fact, approximately 115 other Massachusetts cities and towns have already restricted flavored tobacco sales.

The Board of Health is also considering limiting the number of tobacco product sales permits issued in Wilmington. Such change would not affect existing permit holders as long as they renew their permit on time.

The Board of Health will be holding a public hearing relative to these proposed changes  on Tuesday, August 7 at 5:45pm at Wilmington Town Hall (Room 9).

To read the proposed changes, click HERE and look for the text in red.

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