Stoughton Board of Health closes second tobacco hearing, delays NFG vote to spring

STOUGHTON -- March 31, 2026, Stoughton's Board of Health closed a second public hearing on a proposed nicotine-free generation regulation Tuesday without voting, deferring deliberation to a future meeting in April or early May. Chair Andrew Tibbs, citing written testimony received the day of the meeting that board members had not yet reviewed, said the four-member panel present, Tibbs, Michael Varner, Mike Taylor, and Janet Crimmins, would take up the matter at a separate session. The proposed regulation would permanently bar anyone turning 21 on or after its effective date from purchasing tobacco or nicotine products at Stoughton retailers, mirroring a framework upheld by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in Brookline and now enacted in 22 of the state's 351 municipalities. Prevention coordinator Stephanie Patton cited a 77 percent decline in Stoughton High School vaping rates since 2019, from 43 percent to 10 percent, while retail opponents including New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association Executive Director Peter Brennan and store owner Alex Weatherall argued the policy would devalue local businesses and push sales to neighboring towns. Mark Gottlieb, executive director of the Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University, who defended Brookline's bylaw before the Supreme Judicial Court, offered to defend Stoughton pro bono if litigation arose.