Tobacco and Vaping

The Concord Board of Health has a long history of proactive tobacco control efforts to prevent youth access to tobacco and nicotine products dating back to the 1990s.  

Since the 1990s, the Board of Health has enacted various tobacco control regulations aimed at preventing youth from starting tobacco use and preventing the public from being exposed to second-hand smoke.

The current Board of Health regulation, which was enacted in 2014, contains the following provisions:

  • Prohibits the sale of tobacco and nicotine delivery products (e-cigarettes, vaping devices, and other products such as candies and gum) to persons under age 21. 
  • Prohibits the sale of flavored tobacco products and nicotine delivery products.
  • Restricts the sale of individual cigars: All cigars must be contained in an original package of at least five (5) cigars. No package of five (5) or more cigars shall be sold unless it has a retail price of at least $10.00. Cigars may only be sold individually if each cigar has a purchase price of $3.00 or more.
  • Prohibits the sale of blunt wraps.
  • Prohibits the use of e-cigarettes wherever smoking is prohibited in any location in Concord per M.G.L. Ch. 270 Section 22 or the Concord Smokefree Workplace Bylaw.
  • Prohibits the sale of tobacco products and nicotine delivery products in healthcare institutions.
  • Prohibits self-service displays of tobacco products and  nicotine delivery products.
  • Prohibits sale of tobacco and  nicotine delivery products in vending machines.
  • Prohibits use of all non-residential Roll-Your-Own machines. 

Following a Public Hearing held on April 24, 2023, as well as notifying all Tobacco Product Licensees, publishing in the local newspaper on 4/7, 4/14, 4/21 respectively the Concord Board of Health voted unanimously to adopt effective immediately the following amended Local Regulation -  "Regulation of the Concord Board of Health - Restricting the Sale of Tobacco Products"

Concord Tobacco Sales Regulations Approved 042423 CBOH.docx 

If you have specific questions, feel free to contact Public Health Director Melanie Dineen at mdineen@concordma.gov

Vaping--A New Public Health Epidemic

Teen Vaping has recently emerged as a leading public health concern across Massachusetts, including Concord. 

Local and state public health data support this concern:

  • Recent data show that e-cigarette use increased by 78 percent among high school students and by 48 percent among middle school students from 2017 to 2018 (CDC 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey)
  • As of 2018, approximately 24% of Massachusetts teens report using e-cigarettes within the past 30 days, compared to 8% who report using tobacco products. 
  • In 1995, 35% of Massachusetts high school student reported smoking regularly.  Due to 20 years of tobacco reduction efforts, by 2017 only 6.4% of high school students smoked regularly.  The recent surge in youth vaping threatens to undo decades of tobacco reduction efforts and expose another generation of youth to nicotine addiction.
  • The 2018 Concord Carlisle Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) results show similar trends
    • 23% of CCHS students have vaped within the past 30 days;
    • This rate has doubled since the 2016 YRBS. 
    • 34% of CCHS students in Grade 12 report vaping in the past 30 days
    • In comparison, only 3% of CCHS students report using tobacco in the past 30 days.
    • There is a strong association between vaping and use of other substances.  Youth who use the following substances are highly likely to vape:  cigarettes (88% also vape); Chewing tobacco (92%); Marijuana (81%); Alcohol (65%)
  • Young people who use e-cigarettes are four times more likely to start smoking cigarettes (Berry, et. al., JAMA 2018)
  • E-cigarette use among youth puts them at risk for early nicotine addiction, which can harm brain development and make adolescent brains more susceptible to other addictive drugs (US Surgeon General 2016)
“

What We Know About Teen Vaping Today:  THC, CBD, Nicotine”.

  See videos of recent presentations by two local experts: 
  • Dr. A. Eden Evins, founder and director of the Center for Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. View video. 
  • Dr. Marisa Silveri, Director of the Neurodevelopmental Laboratory on Addictions and Mental Health in the Imaging Center at McLean Hospital and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. View video 


What is Vaping
More Vaping Information and Resources

Print Resources

CDC  Youth Education. Know the Risks: A Youth Guide to E- Cigarettes.  
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/youth-guide-to-e-cigarettes-presentation.html

Frequently Asked Questions About Vaping 

Tips for Talking With Your Kids About Vaping 

American Lung Association: How to Talk with Your Kids about Vaping 

American Lung Association: True Vape Talk, information for teens 

Should I talk to My Kids About Vaping? 

How much Do I know About the Epidemic? 
  

Video and Audio Resources

Video for Student Audiences:  Why Teens Should Consider Quitting Vaping  

Video for Students and Parents:  The Dangers of Vaping as a Teen, With Truth and Doug the Pug 

Video for Parents:  The New Look of Nicotine Addiction 

Podcast: Vaping--What an ER Doctor and Mom of a Teen Needs You to Know, by Emerson Hospital Physician and Concord Board of Health member Deborah Greene, MD 

Vaping Information Current Dangers as of November 2019  by Bedford Pediatrics physician David Geller, MD.  


Video for Parents/Educators:  What you should know about vaping and e-cigarettes 

Medical Implications of Vaping—Study by Mayo Clinic 

National Federation of State High School Associations: Understanding Vaping and E-Cigarettes On-line Course (free and includes certificate of completion) 

Cessation Resources