Jonesing for a butt could find you crossing state lines for a drag on your favorite nicotine product. Massachusetts has already banned menthol cigarettes and is now jockeying to be the first state in the nation to ban tobacco and nicotine products altogether.
This seems strange in a state that recently legalized recreational marijuana, but nanny states don’t always make logical sense, do they?
What Is the Nicotine-Free Generation Law?
Legislation pending before the Legislature’s Public Health Committee would permanently ban those Massachusetts residents not old enough to purchase tobacco from ever doing so legally in the state in the future.
According to State House News Service, “That group will turn 21 in 2027 – the legal age in Massachusetts when, under current law, they would be able to buy tobacco or nicotine.”
The idea is to phase out the products “without affecting older adults who already smoke cigarettes, vape, or use nicotine pouches like Zyn.”
Neighboring States Offer a Loophole
More strangeness as Massachusetts, a relatively small state, shares a border with six surrounding states, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island, where tobacco sales would not be prohibited…