Massachusetts and Boston ban the sale of all flavored tobacco and vaping products, including menthol cigarettes, under the 2019 state flavor restriction law and the Boston Public Health Commission Tobacco Control Regulations.
Massachusetts became the first state to ban menthol cigarettes and all flavored tobacco when the legislature enacted Chapter 133 of the Acts of 2019, codified at MGL Chapter 64C and 270. The law restricts the sale of any flavored cigarette, cigar, e-cigarette, hookah tobacco, or smokeless product, defining flavor broadly to include menthol, mint, and wintergreen. Boston Public Health Commission enforces the rule locally through its Tobacco Control Regulations and conducts retailer inspections, sting operations, and product seizures. Adult-only smoking bars licensed before the law took effect may sell flavored loose-leaf cigars on premises, but no off-premises sales are allowed.
Retailers stocking or selling flavored tobacco face BPHC fines starting at $1,000 per violation, product seizure, multi-day permit suspensions, and potential revocation of the tobacco retailer permit.
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