Amid terribly crooked legislation comes Boston

September 23, 2019

with some reasonable and sensible vaping regulation. Boston officials are of course pushing to make it difficult for people under 21 to use tobacco, including vaping products, but unlike the rest of country doing backward prohibition style "regulation" Boston seems to have a head on it's shoulders and not up it's rear end.

Mayor Marty Walsh announced last Wednesday that the Boston Public Health Commission had proposed new regulations that would allow mint and menthol products containing nicotine to be sold only at verified adult-only tobacco retailers. Since 2015 Boston has been a 21+ tobacco products city, and has allowed the majority of flavored nicotine products to be sold at adult-only eLiquid and vape shops. 

Currently there are changes proposed to remove mint and menthol flavors only, however that public hearing is set for November 7th and a public comment period will run until Nov. 8.  Written comments can be submitted by email to boardofhealth@bphc.org.  

The mayor made the following statement; "Teen vaping is an epidemic that is particularly alarming because we know that nicotine use at a young age can have the power to lead to a lifelong dependency. The data is undeniable in showing that these amendments would save lives," Walsh continued; "I believe that now is the time to act, and I thank our public health staff for bringing forward a proposal that will ensure Boston has some of the strongest regulations in the country to protect our young people."

Is that so hard? The problem isn't the products themselves but the access the youth has to them, thus prohibition and banning outright makes little to no sense, and it would seem that Boston has found a fair middle ground by establishing firm but fair regulations to where exactly these goods can be sold. What do you think? Step in the right direction or is even this too overbearing? Will other cities and states adopt this sensible regulation or will we continue to see the vapocalypse unfold?

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