BOSTON (AP) — Boston could be joining dozens of other Massachusetts cities and towns that have raised the minimum age for purchasing cigarettes and other tobacco products from 18 to 21.
The city’s board of health is expected to vote Thursday on the proposal from Mayor Marty Walsh that if approved could take effect early next year.
Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a bill that would make 21 the legal age for buying tobacco statewide.
The Salem News reports that Swampscott last week became the 85th community in the state to make the change.
A group representing convenience store and gas station owners oppose raising the tobacco age from 18 to 21, saying it would hurt business while not addressing the larger problem of teen smoking.
Yarmouth, Brewster and Eastham are towns on the Cape that have raised the age from 18 to 21.
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