Supreme Court OKs Brookline's ban on tobacco sales for those born in 21st century
BROOKLINE - The ban on the sale of tobacco products to Gen Zers in Brookline will stay put.
On Friday, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in favor of the town's Tobacco-Free Generation bylaw, which store owners have been fighting for years.
"Municipalities have a leading role to play in protecting the public health, and especially here, protecting young people from the dangers of tobacco products," said Brookline Town Counsel Joe Callanan.
The court said that the town's "incremental approach" to prohibiting tobacco sales was permitted by the state law that raised the tobacco age to 21. The first-in-the-nation law affects everyone born in the 21st century.
