NORTHAMPTON — After considering a change that would remove tobacco sales from convenience stores, the Board of Health last week ended up voting down the proposal.
The decision was one of several tobacco-related policy proposals voted down by the Board of Health on Thursday. Two other proposals called for reducing the current cap on tobacco sale permits from 29 to 27, and restricting the sale of tobacco products and vape products to tobacconists or smoke shops where one must be 21 to enter the store.
If the board passed the tobacco sale restriction, convenience stores would suffer, said Jonathan Shaer, executive director for the New England Convenience Store & Energy Marketers Association, a lobbyist group for convenience stores and the fuel industry.
“It would have had an incredibly detrimental effect,” Shaer told the Gazette, noting that tobacco sales make up about a third of convenience store sales across the country.
Shaer spoke at Thursday’s board meeting and was pleased with the vote. “At the end of the day, credit to the board,” he said.
Rita Patel, owner of Northampton Liquors & Wine on Conz Street, was not in favor of the proposed change regarding tobacco sales.
“It didn’t make any sense to take away cigarettes from liquor stores — especially from customers,” Patel said. “It’s all about convenience. We want to provide everything in one spot.”
There are four tobacconist licenses issued in the city, according to Northampton Director of Public Health Merridith O’Leary, but currently, only two tobacconist-licensed shops are open — The Vault and Florence Smoke Shop. City rules define tobacconist as a store with the primary purpose of selling tobacco, nicotine delivery products and tobacco paraphernalia that does not allow those under 21 inside.
This past fall, the state passed legislation that includes a 75% excise tax on vape products and gives officials more power to regulate the products. Changes like these were a reason the board voted not to restrict where tobacco and vape products are sold, O’Leary said.
“We really feel what Governor Baker did kind of took care of our areas of concern, obviously our concern being access to youth,” O’Leary said. “So now we’re going to take a wait and see approach. We may revisit this a year from now.”
At the same meeting, the board approved several amendments related to tobacco sales, such as updating the definition of tobacconist and voting to pass a change that results in allowing only smoke shops to sell menthol, mint and or wintergreen tobacco products starting in June.
In November, the state approved a ban on flavored tobacco and nicotine vaping products beginning in June. Still, the board wanted to vote on the policy in case an injunction is filed, O’Leary said.
“We want to make sure we have a local policy in place,” she said.
Greta Jochem can be reached at gjochem@gazettenet.com.