Somerville Mulls ‘Nicotine-Free’ Ordinance
Somerville’s Board of Health is considering a proposed ordinance that prohibits the sale of tobacco and nicotine-based smoking products in the city to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2005. This item was on the agenda for the board’s meeting on Thursday, March 20.
Before taking action, the board will solicit public input from those opposing and supporting the ordinance. More than 10 Massachusetts municipalities have pledged to uphold the “nicotine-free generation.” Brookline was the first to adopt the law in 2020.
According to a Patch of Somerville report, in November 2024, State Reps. Tommy Vitolo, Kate Lipper-Garabedian, and State Sen. Jason Lewis proposed The Nicotine-Free Generation Bill. This piece of legislation would implement statewide what individual communities have accomplished on their own.
Local tobacco retailers, including those associated with the New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association, are organizing a movement to oppose the nicotine-free ordinance.
