Posted on 10/28/2014 4:35:18 AM PDT by massmike
The Central Massachusetts town of Westminster would become the first community in the state, and perhaps the nation, to ban all tobacco sales under a proposal made public Monday that regulators say is designed to improve health, especially among the young.
Draft regulations posted on the town’s website would prohibit sales of products containing tobacco or nicotine, including cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and even electronic cigarettes, which use batteries to heat nicotine-laced liquid, producing a vapor that is inhaled.
The plan has infuriated local store owners, who are circulating petitions to block the action, saying it would drive them out of business and simply send people to nearby communities for their tobacco products.
A ban such as the one under consideration in Westminster represents the next frontier in the campaign to curb tobacco use, which is already prohibited in all Massachusetts workplaces, including restaurants and bars. It is already illegal to sell tobacco products to minors, and some communities have banned smoking in public parks.
Store owners said it is unfair to ban sales of a legal product and they worry that their financial losses will be considerable. Westminster has seven stores licensed to sell tobacco.
“Where do you draw the line, a candy ban because it causes diabetes? Are we going to ban bacon because it causes [high] cholesterol? It seems like a slippery slope,” said Brian Vincent, owner of Vincent’s Country Store.
At Westminster Liquors, Michael Fratturelli is concerned that residents will head to surrounding towns, where there are plenty of stores to buy cigarettes.
“Nobody is going to stop smoking because this town decided to ban cigarettes,” Fratturelli said. “Businesses won’t want to come to this town anymore, and the value of our businesses will go down.”
(Excerpt) Read more at bostonglobe.com ...
I think the town of Westminster is going to be in for a surprise when the Revenue Department of the great state of Massachusetts tells them they won’t get their “fair share” of the state cigarette tax booty. bwaaaaahaaaahaaaaaa!
That’s ok, this town will just outlaw owning tobacco as well. Damn do gooders
Headline from the future:
Westminster joins state and legalizes pot use and sale.
Colorado is showing a billowing budget surplus, and it is a simple case of ‘Follow the Money’ to predict other states will follow suit when the dollar-signs-for-pupils Politicians see the easiest way to line their pockets will be to legalize smoking, just not tobacco smoking.
Westminster will join in.
I guess my point is, it’s intriguing how cigarettes are evil and yet, pot is a-ok!
Find out who proposed the ban and vote that ass out!
The black market rejoices...
Ban nicotine? Then the town may as well ban tomatoes, potatoes, cauliflower, etc. Nicotine happens to be a common plant alkaloid.
Because we all know what a success Prohibition was...
What morons.
> The black market rejoices...
The people who promoted the ban probably ARE the black marketers. I’m sure pot will be legal though...
> “Where do you draw the line, a candy ban because it causes diabetes? Are we going to ban bacon because it causes [high] cholesterol? It seems like a slippery slope,” said Brian Vincent, owner of Vincent’s Country Store
Don’t give any lefties any more ideas...they like to ban YOU not themselves.
Oh, I completely agree, many of them likely in the government, as well.
>>Because we all know what a success Prohibition was...<<
Just curious, not being snarky. Would you support legalization of marijuana using that same logic?
Gosh, these people are way off track. The reason people like small west-of-Worcester MA towns is there tends to be old yankee spirit and a mind-your-own-business attitude. Having to leave ones small town to purchase cigarettes that can only be smoked in their own homes is not going to help anyone there, but it will hurt small businesses.
It’s going to hurt business more than they know. Do they really think that the smokers are going to go to the next town *just* to get cigarettes?
Why make two stops? Why not pick up your groceries while you’re out? Why not fill up your gas tank if it’s two cents cheaper?
No. This is going to drive out a ton of commerce.
That’s actually a far more honest approach than the “petty harassment against users while sucking money out of it to pay for everything on our wish list” approach that Government generally follows.
No different than we have here with a couple of dry towns.
Owning a bar just across the line in a neighboring jurisdiction is just about the smartest business move a fella could make.
And those towns have been dry since before Prohibition.
I think she might: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2948556/posts?page=48#48
Yes, honestly, I do support the legalization of marijuana.
It is a weed that grows on the roadside, and we have spent billions of dollars, and gutted our liberties in misguided effort to prevent people from smoking it...
I don’t care, (nor should I in a free society), if some people want to spend their time stoned, just as I don’t care if some people allow themselves to get drunk.
I vote for you as president.
You are spot on. We are free people, or used to be. Spending billions upon billions on the war on drugs is an absolute waste of money.
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