Middleboro: Tobacco ban in effect at pharmacies

First, it was swearing in public, and now, it’s cigarettes.

Middleboro’s latest move to stop bad behavior means, as of Sunday, three local pharmacies can no longer cell tobacco.

The ban at Rite Aid, CVS and the pharmacy in the Hannaford’s supermarket follows a vote by selectmen.

The businesses will get a rebate of half of the $100 licensing fee they each paid for the year.

Middleboro is among nearly 40 other Massachusetts communities, including Wareham, with similar bans.

Selectmen say none of the businesses affected by the move tried to fight it.

A board member who voted against the ban likened it to legislating behavior, and said he’d rather see a change in state law than local efforts at regulation.

Last month, Middleboro approved a bylaw allowing police to impose a $20 fine on people caught swearing in public, but it must first pass constitutional muster with the state Attorney General before it takes effect.

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