In Plymouth, the Board of Health wants to prevent teenage nicotine addiction. Although amendments to the town’s tobacco sales regulations was on the agenda for their meeting on April 2nd, no amendment was proposed. But, Board of Health Chairman Barry Potvin says the Board has received model tobacco regulations from the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards about this matter. Therefore, the Board will be determining what changes to put in place for the Plymouth regulations.
WATD’s Bobbi Clark has more…
Board of Health Chairman Barry Potvin says the Board is continuing the fight…
“…to try to keep nicotine addiction from happening to as many of our students as possible. What will probably happen is that, if the Board agrees, I will prepare changes as amendments to the current regulation.”
Potvin says the Board is primarily concerned with underage sales:
“What we’re trying to do is to try to decrease the number of people that our teenagers and even younger than that—children, yet, are using those products and becoming addicted to nicotine.”
And Potvin says, what the Board will put in place…
“…is whatever regulations we think will work—again minimizing the damage to our local businesses.”
And in that regard, Selectman Charlie Bletzer spoke to the Board reminding them…
“…before they consider banning these nicotine pouches, they really have to consider the impacts it will have on some of our local businesses—our convenience stores, our liquor stores—all these businesses that have families that live in Plymouth that they support. I believe that by banning these locally, they’re going to go to other towns and they’re going to buy these products. So until the state regulates these products and bans them, I think we have to be real careful.
In Plymouth, Bobbi Clark, WATD News.
