Framingham To Restrict Sale Of Menthol Cigarettes, Vape Material

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Starting next year, menthol-flavored cigarettes and vape products will be only be available at adult-only stores in Framingham. A unanimous vote by the Board of Health created new regulation that will restrict the sale of menthol-flavored tobacco products and vape products. The regulation takes affect in January 2020.

The Board of Health voted on Thursday to restrict menthol, mint and wintergreen flavored tobacco products and vape materials. This means by January 2020, those products will be cleared from the shelves of many convenience stores and gas stations. The products will be sold at adult-only stores like smoke shops and marijuana dispensaries.

Framingham currently only has four adult-only tobacco shops in the city. I could gain up to six retail marijuana shops. Three stores in the city have permits to sell vape and smoking accessories.

Several store owners appeared at Thursday's meeting to speak out against the regulation, many making claims that it would seriously hurt business. "Banning the flavor of mint or menthol will hurt our business huge," said Barbara Thorier, District manager for Season corner market. She added that part of the appeal of the store is the convenience of being able to get everything they need at one location, including menthol-flavored tobacco products, "Our customers come in not just for cigarettes, they come in for apples, oranges, milk bread... we have a relationship with our customers."

Anna Bettencourt, a representative of VERC Enterprises, a gas and convenience store chain with a location on Edgell Road said she is also worried about the financial implications. She added that she has not seen any data or evidence to prove that convenience stores and gas stations have lower compliance rates than smoke shops. "I feel as if my business, that takes an active part in the community, and does what it can for its community ... is being punished for something that we can’t show any data to," she said.

Vice Chair of the Board of Health, Gillian Carcia said she understood the concerns that members of the business community raised but needed to weigh those against the impact on public health and students and younger generations in particular. "I think that this could be ... a strong move for our city to help do something about this epidemic," she said. "I’m concerned about our children in schools."

The regulation comes after the student advisory commission released the findings of a survey about vaping in Framingham High School. The survey found that 80 percent of high school students vape in the bathrooms and some students even avoid using the school bathrooms just to avoid seeing someone vape.

Framingham Superintendent Robert Tremblay and School Committee Chairman Adam Freudberg both appeared at the meeting to speak in favor of the regulation. Tremblay said the issue was one of addiction for the youth and noted a visit to Walsh Middle School where students told him they or someone they knew vaped.

Freudberg said in a statement, "I believe that only through multiple efforts across all levels of government can we balance the free market and rights of those 21 and older, with common sense education and regulation to ensure our students and youth are protected to the best of our ability."

Framingham has taken steps to keep vape products and cigarettes out of the hands of youths before, including increasing the purchasing age of tobacco products to 21 and restricting almost all flavored products to adult-only store.