Walpole’s Board of Health may consider upping the allowable age to purchase tobacco and cigarettes from 18 to 21 years old after hearing an area doctor’s plea Tuesday night. Dr. Lester Hartman, a physician at Westwood Mansfield Pediatrics, told the board he’s asking more than a dozen area towns to raise the age to curb teen tobacco use. “If we want to prevent addiction in children, this is what we need to do,” Hartman said.
In October of 2010, Walpole was one of the first towns to ban the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products in pharmacies. Selectmen, police officers and school leaders are also focusing on youth substance abuse as of late, helping the coalition on drug and alcohol abuse take more initiative in the community.
“As a town and board we’ve been very active in that area,” chairman Bill Morris said.
Morris already expressed support for upping the age to 21.
“I absolutely agree with you, and I don’t know very many adults who just decide to take up smoking,” Morris said. “It’s an intriguing concept.”
