No fooling, come April 1, 2019, sales of e-cigarettes and menthol to anyone under the age of 21 will be forbidden, due to new restrictions imposed by the Somerville Board of Health.

By Jim Clark

The Somerville Board of Health voted to restrict the sales of electronic nicotine delivery systems (e-cigarettes) and menthol cigarettes in Somerville on December 13.

Citing concerns on the health impacts of youth, the new regulations will forbid such products from being sold in retail outlets accessible to those under 21 years of age, starting on April 1, 2019. Both menthol and e-cigarette sales will be restricted to 21+ adult-only tobacco retail stores. According to the Board of Health, Somerville is the first municipality in the Commonwealth to pass such regulations.

Director of Communications and Community Engagement Denise Taylor, in a public statement on Tuesday, elaborated on the decision to impose the new restrictions:

The new regulations come as concern over the increasing popularity of e-cigarettes has grown both nationally and locally. Although e-cigarettes have been helpful to some adults seeking to transition off traditional tobacco products, they tend to be an entry to nicotine use for youths bringing various health impacts.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, e-cigarettes can harm the developing adolescent brain and research indicates that youth who use e-cigarettes are more likely to continue using cancer-causing nicotine or tobacco products long-term. Despite these risks, the national 2018 Youth Tobacco Survey revealed teen e-cigarette use is rising rapidly. From 2017 to 2018, the number of youth using e-cigarettes rose from 2.1 million to 3.6 million nationally, reflecting an increase of 78 percent among high school students and 48 percent among middle school students.

Due to the risks and rapid rise in e-cigarette use among teenagers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently enacted new regulations designed to restrict youth access to e-cigarettes, announced proposed new rules aimed at further reducing youth access and appeal, and indicated it would be seeking a ban on menthol in all tobacco products, which has been shown to have a similar appeal to youth.

Meanwhile, the usage data in Somerville reflects the national trends. The City’s 2018 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that while self-reported alcohol and traditional cigarette use in Somerville teens is declining, reported e-cigarette use almost doubled between 2016  and 2018. In that time, e-cigarette use rose from 7% to 13% total for middle and high school students, with 16% of high school seniors using e-cigs. In comparison, only 3% of students reported smoking traditional cigarettes.

“These products are being shamelessly marketed to teens, who have become their biggest users without fully understanding the health risks, which is why we’ve seen the Surgeon General calling for significant interventions to end this building public health crisis,” said Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone. “In Somerville, we are rising to that challenge by becoming an early adopter of these regulations and taking the necessary steps to stop the cycle of nicotine addiction among our young.”

The effort to introduce menthol and e-cigarette restrictions was the result of collaboration within the Somerville Health and Human Services Department and other community public health, substance abuse, and tobacco prevention specialists. Community members testified at the public hearing both in support of the changes and against, with local retailers expressing their concerns about the potential financial impact on their business due to the loss of selling menthol products.

“As the Board of Health, we work very hard to balance public health and business concerns. With that, our ultimate responsibility is to protect the health of Somerville residents, particularly youth,” said Board of Health member, Robert Ciccia.

In addition to the new regulations, the City’s Office of Prevention has been hosting student focus groups, discussions, and school assemblies on the dangers of vaping/e-cigarette use. In the new year, they will continue to host workshops, including focus groups for parents and multi-lingual discussions for students.

“Through both our education and outreach efforts as well as these regulations, we are reinforcing our commitment to protect our youth from the effects of early nicotine exposure and tobacco use on brain development as well as the lifelong impacts on health and well-being,” said Director of Health and Human Services Doug Kress.