AMHERST — A tobacco regulation that would begin restricting sales of nicotine products to anyone who isn’t already 21 by Jan. 1, 2026 would lead to more healthy and equitable communities for Latino youth, according to representatives from the Latino Community Engagement and Leadership Program.
“The tobacco industry continues to find new products to attract young people because the developing brain is more susceptible to addiction,” Isabel Ramirez of Amherst, speaking in Spanish, told the Board of Health at its Oct. 30 meeting. “Unfortunately, Latino youth in Hampshire County are more likely to start using nicotine products at an earlier age, making them more likely to become dependent lifetime users.”
Also in support of the Nicotine Free Generation regulation was Dr. Evelyn Villamo, who recalls seeing tar-filled lungs as a physician.
“This is a topic that’s dear to my heart,” Villamo said. “I would like to have a Nicotine-Free Generation, yes.”
The policy, which would mean anyone who hasn’t turned 21 by Jan. 1 would never legally be able to purchase nicotine products in Amherst, has been adopted in Belchertown, Pelham and South Hadley in Hampshire County and 15 other communities in Massachusetts.
Whether this will get support from the current four-member board remains to be seen, with the Nictoine Free Generation and other revisions, mostly focused on fines, to be voted on at the Dec. 4 meeting.
During the hearing, held at the Bangs Community Center, health board member Premila Nair said there was no compelling reason not to adopt the policy.
“I think this is our responsibility as a Board of Health,” Nair said.
“I feel like we’d be doing the right thing, no doubt,” said member Jack Jemsek, adding that he likes that the policy gives a phase-out time for legal sales. But he said even though Belchertown and South Hadley have the policy, the people who wouldn’t be allowed to buy in Amherst might be pushed to Hadley and Sunderland, or the black market.
That is also a worry for Chairwoman Risha Hess, who said people might be able to go online to order, which is a less regulated marketplace, and the town already has a policy where tobacco licenses can be reduced over time.
“I’m not sure it adds a lot to our regulations, but public health implications are clear, and it’s putting another notch in the town’s care,” Hess said.
Because the board held the meeting in person, only a handful of those from outside the area attended, though the meeting room was filled with onlookers.
One of those who traveled from Maine was the lone person to speak against the policy.
Ben Brooks, a representative from Nouria for the gas station and convenience store at 399 Northampton Road, said employees are given extensive training to prevent underage sales.
“We do not want these products in the hands of our youth,” Brooks said. The business would be immediately devalued with the new regulation.
Ken Elstein, a member of Belchertown’s Board of Health, said since last Jan. 1 businesses are turning away about three people per month, suggesting that the appeal of tobacco to youth must be a bigger problem if a company representative is that concerned. “That’s what he came from Maine for?”
Joseph Mascis, an Amherst resident who said he supports the policy, showed a flyer that had been sent to residents encouraging them to speak out against the rule.
A 40-year-resident who previously chaired the Board of Health, Nancy Gilbert said she wants Amherst to be at the forefront, much as it did for prohibiting sales in pharmacies and banning smoking in restaurants.
“Amherst has been a leader in many of the other revisions in the past,” Gilbert said.
Heather Warner, director of the Hampshire Franklin Tobacco Free Community Partnership, reflected on when she was a teenager and becoming a two-pack-a-day smoker before kicking the bait. The new policy would be an “effective way to stop the ever-changing and precautionary practices of Big Tobacco,” Warner said.
Those who came some distance included Maureen Buzby of Melrose, part of Yes to Nicotine-Free Generation, who presented several vape packages with built-in video games that are targeting children.
“These are the new products being pushed on our kids,” Buzby said.
Ginny Chadwick of Somerville, a graduate student at Brandeis University, served as a city councilor in Columbia, Missouri, where she sponsored a 21-and-over tobacco buying measure in that college town.
Chadwick said she is grateful another college town appears poised to endorse the measure. “This is about slowly phasing it out,” Chadwick said.
But the health board didn’t get any testimony from anyone who would be directly affected, meaning those who haven’t yet turned 21.
This prompted Board of Health member Betsy Brooks to ask for their thoughts, with several University of Massachusetts students observing how their peers are addicted to vaping and have trouble making it through their classes. The consensus from those students is this would be a good regulation for the town.
