EASTHAMPTON — Easthampton is the latest community in the Pioneer Valley to adopt a Nicotine-Free Generation public health policy, banning anyone who is currently younger than 21 from legally buying nicotine products like cigarettes, pouches and vapes.
The nicotine regulations have been sweeping through Hampshire County, adopted by communities such as Amherst, Northampton, Belchertown, and now Easthampton, after the Board of Health accepted the policy Wednesday afternoon. The policy will take effect Jan. 1 2027, meaning anyone born after 2005, will not be able to purchase nicotine products from retailers in the city.
The board introduced the policy last December and have heard from many residents, health professionals, business owners and high school students from Easthampton and across the state.
Opponents include certain business owners who sell tobacco products that fear the regulation will harm revenue and others who fear the policy would limit their rights. Proponents include health professionals who say it is a much-needed policy to help curb youth nicotine use, ultimately reducing related health issues.
“While opinions vary, the public health objective remains clear: preventing nicotine addiction before it begins is upstream, good public health,” said Merridith O’Leary, Northampton commissioner of health and human services.
Easthampton Director of Public Health Ryan Griffin previously told the Gazette that although cigarette usage may have declined over the years, nicotine pouches and vape usage are becoming a more prevalent issue among youth. He added that the policy would increase the gap between older generations that could buy nicotine illegally for younger ones.
Currently, e-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product for youth, with approximately 18% of Massachusetts high school students reporting e-cigarette use, Griffin said. Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in Massachusetts and across the U.S., accounting for more than 9,000 directly related deaths in the state annually and approximately 28% of all cancer-related deaths, according to the campaign Tobacco-Free Kids.
Stephen Helfer, representing Cambridge Citizens for Smoker’s Rights, has appeared at prior Easthampton meetings and in other local communities to oppose the policy, arguing that the regulation would likely come at the detriment of local businesses, which he said are often minority-owned. There are currently 13 establishments in Easthampton that sell tobacco products.
He also questioned why nicotine is being looked at differently than other substances.
“Maybe people born after the year 2006 should not be able to purchase marijuana, alcohol, engage in gambling or eat ultra-processed food,” Helfer said. “If people think that future generations of adults are unable to make a good decision regarding tobacco and nicotine products, what makes you think that they will make good decisions regarding these other matters?”
The city of Brookline began the nicotine-free generation wave in 2020 when it banned anyone born in this century from purchasing nicotine products. Since then, more than 20 communities have enacted policy with slight differences.
Two students, Aiden Favorite and Oliver Oparowski, of the Easthampton High School We The People team gave a presentation with the help of their teacher Kelley Brown, discussing the legal and constitutional merits of the policy while explaining its pros and cons.
They examined the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court case, the “Six Brothers v. Town of Brookline,” a case in which Brookline was challenged in court over its decision to adopt the policy, but it was ultimately dismissed.
“If cities want to go further and they’re not prohibited of doing so by the state, then they can actually go forward more to limit for the purpose of the public safety,” Brown said, explaining dynamics between federal, state and local governments based on the case. “They just have to be in alignment with rights that are established under the Constitution.”
Oparowski said one of the pros of the policy is that it could potentially decrease health care costs by decreasing nicotine-related health issues. He added that the tobacco industry is likely to not regulate itself, so new policies from communities will offer insights into what works and what doesn’t.
Other than impacts to business, Favorite said that since tobacco is taxed in Easthampton, it could decrease revenue to the city and people could still drive to other communities for access.
However, both Favorite and Oparwoski said that people under the age of 21 — the legal age to purchase nicotine products in Massachusetts — are still gaining access to products. Oparowski said the ban will not eliminate nicotine use and communities need to start increasing addiction support services for youth.
“If we want to actually successfully reduce addiction we should not solely be looking to pass a ban, but we should also be looking to provide resources for people and especially for young people who are currently addicted to nicotine,” Oparowski said.
