BELCHERTOWN, Mass. (WWLP) – Belchertown’s Board of Health is considering a generational ban on nicotine product sales. Northampton considering generational ban on nicotine products The proposed ordinance would ban the sale of vape or tobacco products to anyone born on or after January 1st, 2004; a group that will turn 21 next year. These bans, called "nicotine-free generation," measures were made possible by a similar law passed in Brookline back in 2020. The ban was upheld in a ruling by the state’s highest court. Tobacco retailers and the New England Convenience Store & Energy Marketers Association, however, oppose the measure for the following reasons in a statement sent to 22News: The “nicotine-free generation” policy haphazardly applies a discriminatory ban against the purchase of legal products by 21-plus adults, treating them differently from those born before them. Restricting the free choices of legal products to adults is fundamentally wrong. It creates and supports a dangerous illicit market. Oral nicotine pouches are considered less risky products than many other tobacco products, and adult consumers are adopting them to replace, in whole or in part, their use of tobacco products higher on the continuum of risk recognized by the FDA. Discouraging nicotine pouch use by removing them from most retailers frustrates this adult movement from higher risk to lower risk tobacco and nicotine products. Fewer than two out of 100 (1.8%) youth nationwide report using a nicotine pouch in the last 30 days. More than three times (6.3%) that number reports using marijuana. This plan proposes to fix a problem that doesn’t exist. The proposed regulations do nothing to address under-age youth use of tobacco and nicotine products. The Belchertown Board of Health will meet on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Memorial Hall located at 2 Jabish Street in Belchertown. To watch online, visit meet.goto.com/MGrenier. Local News Headlines Top 10 most Googled Christmas movies Police recognized for providing support during Springfield Day at The Big E Fair Two western Mass. veterans awards home renovations Portion of Pleasant Street in Holyoke closed due to brush fire WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.