Massachusetts May Pass Generational Tobacco Ban

Massachusetts is readying to become the first state to pass a generational tobacco ban.

Several of the state’s lawmakers plan on introducing bills that would ban anyone born after a specific date from ever purchasing tobacco products in Massachusetts. It’s unclear which date the proposed cut-off will be, but the report says that the group doesn’t plan on taking away the right to purchase tobacco products from anyone who is legally of age.

Given the bill won’t be introduced until next year, that would mean a date no earlier than 2004, though it might be 2005, according to Charlie Minato of Halfwheel.

Massachusetts won’t be the first state to have generational tobacco ban legislation introduced, but it could be the first one to see it pass. The state is already one of the least tobacco-friendly states in the U.S. It has one of the 10 highest state tax rates on cigars and is one of just two states that have successfully banned some flavored tobacco products.

Earlier this year, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld a local law passed in Brookline, Mass., that banned anyone born after Jan. 1, 2000, from ever purchasing tobacco products and e-cigarettes. That success has created interest from other lawmakers in the state, though as recently as last month, nearby Peabody, Mass., tabled a similar proposal after pushback.

This week, the most prominent attempt at a generational tobacco ban is back in the news. The U.K. Parliament held its second reading of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. If it becomes law, the legislation, backed by a 415 to 47 vote, would prevent anyone born after January 1, 2009, from buying tobacco.