e e good evening it's um 7 o' and um the Board of Health for the town and reading is um opening for the purposes of a to host a public hearing to discuss proposed changes to a Board of Health regulation um I'm Carrie denal I'm the chair for this evening and do I have a a motion to so roll call who's here Joan Wetzel here Kevin Jerry and our chair Rick Dr Rick Lopez is um out of town unfortunately as is Paula current um so um thanks folks for coming if you haven't there are two signin sheets at the door one is just to sign in that you came to our meeting the second is if you wish to um provide testimony on the Reg regulation so if we're asking if you're going to provide testimony on the regulation you please sign in and we'll use that to call names for people um if you just are here to observe welcome and you don't need to sign both sheets um let's see we are being recorded and broadcast live by um by rctv in addition we're joined by a uh by kbst TV from South Korea system yeah um and so if you will be filmed so if folks prefer not to appear on camera there is an overflow room set up next door you can hear and see the proceedings and you just won't appear on camera um you'll be able to hear us if you wish to test um to provide testimony and then you can come in and speak um so okay so public hearing to discuss the proposed changes to the board of Regulation restricting the sale of tobacco products the agenda includes includ a QR code the bottom which actually includes the text of the regulation uh for purposes of completeness I'm going to go ahead and and read that so the hearing is prohibition of sales no person firm Corporation establishment or agency shall sell tobacco or ecigarette products to anyone born on or after January 2004 any person firm Corporation establishment or agency which shall violate any provisions of this regulation and upon written notification shall be fined and suspended in accordance with the schedule set forth under the regulation of the reading Board of Health restricting the sale of tobacco products This was um so it's included on the agenda it's available on the town website um the purpose of our gathering tonight is to hear testimony from folks who are interested and have a position on the um proposal the board will not be engaging in any meeting together we will not be doing any deliberating and there will be no discussion um this is simply an opportunity for folks to make their voices heard um once this meeting closes we will meet again on June 10th at which time we will deliberate and possibly vote about the regulation so with the exception of Title 5 regulations it's actually not legally required for the Board of Health to hold a public hearing on proposed regulations uh but we choose to do so because of the broad interest in the control of tobacco and nicotine delivery products and we appreciate folks coming to speak it's important part of the process for understand to understand people's perspectives and we definitely appreciate people taking the time to come and join us um let's see okay so I'm going to invite the um I believe the select board is is present and has a quorum so I'm going to invite them to call themselves to order I'll call the board to order thank you and uh let's see okay we already this so I'm going just going to go over the ground rules um so and this is about making sure it's for time so we ask that everybody follow these rules anybody who wants to make comments please sign in sign in sheet right there at the table um only accepting testimony relative to the dra to the um regulation the the proposed amendment to the regulation restricting sale of tobacco products so please make sure that you are familiar with the proposed regulation and direct your comments toward that um we will not be answering questions or otherwise engaging in discussion or providing any response we'll call you by name using the signin sheet when you are called please come to to the podium and identify yourself but with name your address and if there's any applicable professional affiliation please include that we're asking people to limit their comments to three minutes so that everyone has an opportunity to speak and we ask that please people be considerate of others when they're speaking um and allow for them to make their remarks whether you agree with them or not um please no commenting on of turn um thanks for the uh cooperation thanks for being here uh can I have a motion to open the public hearing uh motion to open public hearing May 23rd to 2024 7.m which is there after um on the regulation of the Board of Health restricting the Seal of tobacco second second second from joh okay um all in favor none opposed passes for nothing okay so the the hearing is open and at this point I'm going to um invite do we have a sorry just a just let's get this the sign in sheet I know folks are still coming in to sign in but um so let's get that first list and um ask people to sign in at to come to the podium as they it themselves she yes yep there's another sheet out there so if you haven't signed in you can use that so first person is Stephen heler hello uh do I get to see a timer I have it right here you'll hear it if right here for you my name is stepen helper I represent Cambridge citizens for smokers rights I'm from Cambridge Massachusetts uh we are not affiliated with any business and make no money from tobacco um I think this Pro uh proposal is always saying this is for children but this will not affect children at all uh this will affect adults only anyone born January 1st or uh after will be prohibited from buying tobacco even when they're 30 or 40 years old and I think it's strange because uh an 18-year-old will be able to obtain an abortion uh undergo surgical sex change die in the military and be tried in a court of law as an adult but he or she won't be able to buy a cigarette or a cigar or a nicotine product like a vaping machine I think this is Tobacco Control out of control and who is Tobacco Control Tobacco Control is a vast complex of government and non-government organizations who make their living on tax dollars and funding and for them to justify their existence they have to continuously create these Cris IES that really do not exist why do I say there is not a crisis here I'll will say this anyone who does a very cursory internet search and goes to the two most authoritative surveys in the country which is the monitoring the future survey by the University of Michigan and the government's own National Youth tobacco survey uh again this is very available on the internet uh teen smoking is a historic low teen vaping use has declined dramatically since pre epidemic levels uh adult smoking is the lowest it's been and ever ever been recorded uh since 1945 it's about 12% that's adult smoking so where is the crisis why are we doing this for the children well I'll tell you I think this is actually [Music] misdirecting good Public Health intentions from where our young people are really suffering we have every year we set a new record for opioid deaths this may not affect teenagers but it affects 20 and 30 year olds some teenagers smoking deaths uh that are attributed to smoking rightly or wrongly occur to people after 40 50 even 60 years of smoking so this is uh these opioid problem is much more pressing and we should not be misdirected into harassing smokers and the businesses that depend on them uh from this problem how much time do I have that was three minutes that was three minutes okay I would just like you all to check out these surveys the most authoritative surveys I ask you not to P pass this it misdirects attention from what youth really need it penalizes small struggling businesses and it deprives us adults of our freedom thank thank you the next person on the list is Moren Busby good evening Moren Busby 54 West Highland Avenue Melrose and Regional tobacco prevention program coordinator we know the data about smoking related disease and uh preventable premature death and we know the heavy burden of health care costs related to tobacco use we also know Boards of Health have courageously led the way in tobacco prevention and not just with tobacco sales regulations but also with the state's smokefree Workplace Law which started in one community and spread to others and has been state law for two decades it was groundbreaking at the time but now we can't imagine going into a restaurant theater school or hospital or riding on a subway bus train or plane where people are smoking local boards including this one were early adopters of t21 Pharmacy band cigar minimum price flavor restriction permit cap and more some of these regulations are now state law again local boards recognizing their primary role in leading the way an important Public Health policy to protect their residents but the tobacco industry is always one step ahead of us from the cool Sleek Jewel to vape pens disguisers highlighters to nicotine pouches that are even more discreet high in nicotine content and made with nicotine salts for a quick to the brain and these pouches are very very cheap a tenis in has more nicotine than two and packs of cigarettes but costs about $5 compared to around $35 for the cigarette equivalent but the most important information may be in a letter submitted by Erica mamera director of the reading Coalition I believe you all have a copy of that in your packet the nfg policy starts us on the path to a nicotine-free generation just as today's youth have never been in a public place place in Massachusetts where people are smoking youngsters of Tomorrow will not be faced with products specifically designed to tempt them and trick them into starting a habit that can lead to lifelong addiction ston and Wakefield Melrose and Malden all recently adopted the nfg policy becoming the first Boards of Health in the world to do so the Brooklyn policy that you undoubtedly will hear about is actually a town bylaw thank you for your attention you thank you um okay um and I know there are some folks that have come a little late just so we're I I want to make sure folks know there are additional seats in an overflow room next door and if you do wish to um provide testimony you need to sign in on both sheets okay thanks all right next person is missa Stevens good night thank you my name is Lisa Stevens good night I am the Tobacco Control director for the Massachusetts Municipal Association um which represent present the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts and as the Tobacco Control director I provide legal technical assistance on Tobacco nicotine control and policy development in cities and towns across the Commonwealth tobacco use Remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States claiming the lives of more than 480,000 Americans annually during due to smoking related diseases despite Decades of awareness about its adverse health effects tobacco consumption pers persists costing billions of dollars in healthcare expenses nearly all tobacco use begins during Youth and Young adulthood reducing youth access to nicotine prodject products is of great Public Health importance uh local Boards of Health in Massachusetts have spearheaded effective tobacco related Health policies such as the smoke-free workplace which evolve from local initiatives to state law and has significantly reduced exposure to secondhand smoke in public spaces similarly as uh maren mentioned the prohibition on um labored Vape products and raising the minimum sales age to 21 both began as local Board of Health regulations and are now state law and local Boards of Health continue to develop Innovative policies to reduce the public health cost of nicotine consumption nevertheless the tobacco industry continually innovates uh introducing new nicotine Delivery Systems uh such as discret baap pens and nicotine pouches which undermine the existing effectiveness of existing regulations nicotine free generation policy proposes a Forward Thinking approach uh which would reduce uh to Tobacco prevention by uh introducing a birth date restriction in addition to the age restriction it's a relatively straightforward measure it simplifies simplifies excuse me enforcement for retailers um who only need to remember one date rather than tracking the fluctuating minimum sales age um and importantly individuals who have already attained the legal age of 21 retain their ability to purchase tobacco products so over time this policy gradually reduces the pool of potential new customers but doesn't affect the existing pool so in conclusion the nicotine free generation represents a proactive approach to Tobacco prevention addressing the evolving landscape of nicotine consumption while safeguarding public health and future Generations by implementing a date a birth date restriction alongside existing age regulations this policy empowers communities to reduce tobacco related harm and create environments to conduct uh healthier Lifestyles thank you for your time thank you okay next name on the list Narcissa Christine light good evening all s Christine Lions of reading um the board's plan is to move remove the choice of people born on January 1st 2004 or later of whether or not they can buy tobacco in the town of reading while that is clearly a violation of our freedoms it is also not legitimate members of the board were elected to serve the residents of this town the best interests of this town not create rules and regulations that is not the board's right nor is it any of our rights for that matter a being's Freedom of Choice cannot be taken whether it is a choice of one to buy a cigarette or to sell V whatever we have the right to decide for ourselves we're born with that right in fact no matter when we were born or will be born we also have the right to earn an income and that income cannot be infringed upon for the sales of legal products you the board were elected to help guide us to the healthiest decision provide resources and education Alternatives not create regulations that limit our freedom just because you think people shouldn't smoke that it's not healthy it's a dirty habit I agree but that's beside the point no one has the right not you not the state not even at the federal level regardless of what might be printed on illegitimate constitutions you also cite Mass laws GLC 111 S31 and that it entitles you to make reasonable Health regulations but who decides what's reasonable um that right there is a separate panel or meeting um and this to me clearly not reasonable it's never reasonable to Rob any Sovereign of a god-given right and to dissect it to a portion of the population is prejudicial and divisive also it is never reasonable to try to diminish a man's right to earn a living tobacco products are a large portion of the cash flow for our convenience and liquor stores this move would undermine them while preventing nothing for health problems people of less people of the less free class you are trying to create would just go to another town or another state eventually If This creepy mentality spreads to that point please don't say well wakefield's doing it ston him's doing it um or thinking about it it's it's a weak fallback that has nothing to do with anything let readings set an example and of making the right choice ourselves and giving us Harmony and freedoms in our businesses mimicking other towns is a sign of not being capable of making the right choice ourselves and other towns make mistakes all the time I have now given you closure on what the board can and can't do what shouldn't shouldn't do I hope you choose the correct path thank you thank you thank you uh next name is Jodie rafy hi my name is Jody Rock 21 Banbridge Road and reading um I didn't write anything because this is coming from my heart I am not a smoker I recogn I read your entire proposal I recognize that the restrictions that have been put on Tobacco from miners is has really helped I grew up in a generation of smoking everywhere and just with education and prevention of miners it is like gentleman said way down but what I'm objecting to is anyone over the age of 21 in the town of reading being restricted from buying tobacco products I don't see the advantage I don't want my freedoms taken away from me the next thing will be Donuts because fat people have high blood pressure and diabetes or perhaps it will be alcohol we going to be a dry town because alcohol is just as bad so so once you start this slippery slope and I don't like that phrase slippery slope because everyone uses it but this is a fact it's time for us to use the funds and the intelligence and the time that you people are offering to our community to educate young people not people over 21 who have the right the god-given right in our country to make those choices the next thing you'll be telling me is I can't buy Dunkin' Donuts what what is this where do you get the right to do that yes it's bad to smoke I don't smoke no one in my family smokes I don't want my grandchildren smoking but I want anyone over 21 to have the right to do that because at 21 you can smoke marijuana now you can there's so many things you can do you can go to war and donate your life but you can't buy a pack of cigarettes I hope that you'll make the correct choice and remember that it's over 21 that's the problem with this it's not educating restricting it's the fact that anyone over 21 would lose those rights thank you and next up is Maddie Baldock B hello reading I am Maddie bulu a junior at Melrose High School so two years ago we sadly lost my grandfather due to lung cancer from from his excessive smoking addiction growing up I always remembered riding in his big pickup truck that rre of cigarettes in second grade we learned about secondhand smoking in health in secondhand smoking in health class and all I could think about was how much secondhand smoking I was inhaling while in his car I would always try and hold my breath or stick my head out the window in search of Clean Air my grandmother also lived with me at the time who was also a big smoker I hated her smoking so much that me and my younger sister hid her cigarettes behind the couch one day to make a long story short would not recommend to this day she still smokes cigarettes even though her lungs are starting to seriously deteriorate and she can barely go up the stairs without getting winded over 500,000 people die each year because of smoking just in the US not to mention the cause it has on the greenhouse effect by Banning the cells of tobacco products we are not only saving people's lives but also the environment thank you good job thank you thank you next up is Daniel derer I hope I'm saying names right I apologize if I'm not sorry which doesn't get bad my name is Daniel der I I'm the former owner of the reading Quick Stop um a standalone convenience store the last one in reading all the other convenience stores are attached to um gas stations or pharmacies um I've been up here uh I actually just sold it in the last year how however I am passionate about this this issue I've been up here to my third or fourth time uh every time they make a new regulation um and it it just doesn't make sense to me I they've done a good job Moren and her gang have done a good job of getting the youth off of this but now you're going after adults I think it it doesn't make no sense no earthly sense I I just can't believe other have actually even adopted this it makes it just blows my mind I've asked every time why don't you go after the liquor stores or after caffeine Dunkin' Donuts or any of the other stuff never ever do I never got an answer and I've never seen any action taken towards that it's always a convenience store selling a nicotine product and and then and they they went up to uh from 18 to 21 they took um uh flavors off our shelves even though you can go to the liquor store and get flavored uh Barka flavored rum bubblegum raspberry all that stuff uh in past Board of Health meetings they claimed it was marketed to kids they they showed cartoons but I can go in the Mala store and see the Captain Morgan guy sitting on a Rum Barrel I mean that that's marketed to kids too if you want to make the same analogy um so I don't think that it is a good uh proposal to for a nicotine-free generation it just doesn't it it makes no sense I mean I I don't know what more to say I mean how thank you for your time and I hope you guys make the right decision because I think this is a terrible terrible real thank you Mr Dart okay next up is Erica MN hi uh my name is Erica MN I'm the director of the reading Coalition for prevention support at the police department 15 Union Street and reading um I'm write I wrote a letter to the board on behalf of our Coalition staff mainly to provide context on what we are already doing for nicotine education and prevention so that the board has an idea of what's already happening in the context of the work that's been going on for the last 16 years I wanted to provide some data from the latest youth bris Behavior survey from our reading public schools on nicotine usage we had 77% of our local students in grades 6 through 12 take part in the survey administered by the reading public schools in JSI Consulting students were asked the substances they used in the past 30 days 10% of our high school students in Reading reported currently using evapor products and 2% reportedly currently smoking cigarettes for middle school students 8% reported current use of vapor product and 1% current cigarette use more than half of local high school local high school students students were most likely to think vaping products were easy or very easy to access at a rate of 52% while 29% of local high school students were most likely to think cigarettes were easy or very easy to access there is a difference in young people's perception of access to Vapes versus cigarettes middle and high school students were also given the opportunity on the survey to identify the health issue they felt concerned students in their school 16% of students identified vaping as the concerning health issue for their peers the Coalition and school resource officers provide education on nicot prevention at the middle high school middle and high schools in reading reading public school Educators also tackle this important subject in health classes at the elementary middle and high school levels the Coalition and School nurses administer the espert verbal screening which is a state requirement we do verbal substance misuse screenings including questioning on nicotine usage in 2023 7% of our 10th graders that were screened reported misuse of nicotine and half of those students struggled with quitting that substance the Coalition also operates the chemical health education program for the reading public schools we process 12 vaping violations involving students this year students were provided an education class and referral to Services um according to our Outreach coordinator that works directly with our students students that are impacted by vaping continue to be unaware of the damage of nicotine on their braid and bodies we try to assist but many students are already dependent on the substance students that receive a second violation are automatically referred to their Primary Care provider for an evaluation recommendation for further support we implemented this requirement 10 years ago because we found that students were using a higher amount of nicotine and did require medications to taper off the substance they were using the damage to the body from vaping does progress more rapidly and a medical professional is the best resource for providing guidance to their parents we also assess students who receive beyond a second violation for nicotine dependence lastly we see young people misusing nicotine products including Vapes and sinins regularly at the regional and state level we are facing similar challenges the a Val diagnosis emerged prior to the pandemic and we had 18% of the 2600 people um that were hospitalized were under the age of 18 I'll close with just reminding you that the letter is there with additional information and I thank you for your time you thank you next person is Kate Silva hi thank you um I'm Kate SVA 60 amyy Street Brookline I'm the co-sponsor of this same regulation um in Brooklyn in 2020 um once you have become an adult you still don't have a right to buy everything you might want adults can't buy asbest for example adults can't buy lead paint smoking has caused more harm than either of these it is unique it is the number one cause of preventable death it is singular why can we still buy a product that's the number one cause of preventable death implicated in one in five deaths and will kill nearly one half of its users why not go the way of as Festus and lead paint the first answer has to do with addiction and I think other people will speak to that but the second is that nicotine is a really lucrative business now that's not enough to justify the harm it causes but still tobacco phase out is not Costless to the industry so can we consider this 60 years after the Surgeon General first warned about the dangers of tobacco what is the least painful way to manage the wind down for businesses the answer is this reform it is the birthday restriction it is a slow phase out not one single current buyer is lost to a retailer not one it's just that no new ones will age into being able to purchase as a phase out this is literally as incremental and gradual for the retailer as possible some people worry about a black market this birthday restriction is elegantly designed to escape a black market issues that would come with a complete prohibition and that's because because you need users who want a substance and can't get it in order to create a black market but if no new users are created there's no need for a black market but meanwhile those who have currently using can continue to have access to the product legally and that's why this reform avoids a black market um I just want to close with the the words of Margaret me uh never doubt that a small group of thought and committed individuals can change the world in fact it's the only thing that ever has thank you thank you um and I just want to pause for a moment to to recognize chairman B is is here so the select board was called to order yeah someone already see no you're fine just yes you are welcome okay um and for new folks there's an overflow room if you want you don't have to sit on the floor you can hear everything um and welcome okay next person is Mark got Le good evening I'm Mark gotle I'm the executive director of the public health advocacy Institute at nor Eastern University School of Law and um about a little more than 10 years ago my esteemed colleague uh Professor Richard danard published an uh a piece in the New York Times that introduced this policy to the general public um a policy to end the cycle of addiction and and long-term uh chronic tobacco use starting with the Next Generation Um and also doing it in a way that um as Professor Sila just mentioned um does not result in the loss of a single current customer to retailers um so our Institute offered to defend any legal challenge that would emerge uh should a a city or town in Massachusetts um take uh this policy on and uh and Brooklyn was the first in the world to do so and uh then became the first in uh in the US to be sued for doing so uh in uh in late 2021 and uh my colleagues and I had the honor of defending the town pro bono um uh to uh to the Supreme Judicial Court which as I'm sure you're aware in uh march on March 8th of this year um affirmed the uh dismissal of that uh of that lawsuit and found that there was no conflict with any state law um and no constitutional violation uh in this uh in this policy um and that basically has uh cleared any legal hurdles that that may exist but if there are any other legal challenges that um would emerge um we stand ready to uh to assist and and and defend any um city or town in in the Commonwealth um this is a policy that over time will change the um the Gap in age from those who um you know I should back up a second just say um most young people who are getting tobacco products are getting them from older peers um and this will increase the age gap between high school students and mid middle school students and older peers over time such that at a certain point there not going to have peers that are under the age of 30 to get this stuff from and so I think it's going to actually have a real uh a benefit for underage um kids in the Commonwealth not just um uh a a new generation of no non-tobacco users and those who aren't um addicted to uh to tobacco products I hope you'll support this um I guess we have six jurisdictions now that have passed this policy um and uh I I I think it is really the beginning of uh a new wave of of Public Health measures um through Massachusetts and hopefully throughout the world thank you thank you next name is Chuck Deandrea and again if I'm not saying it properly please correct me Deandrea Deandrea Deandrea Deandrea welcome my name is Chuck Deandrea I live in Reading I've been here for 32 years I've been a tobacco salesman for 42 years and I've seen it all and everything you're on my hero oh thank you you're my hero thank you very much um cigarette smoking isn't good for you absolutely but having a right is the best thing we could possibly have see those people on the wall over there they enforce the law they gave us rights okay and although cigarette smoking is bad so is it marijuana so is in gambling and the fool that runs our country just wanted to decriminalize marijuana isn't that nice that's great and we're here today saying that a 50y old or a 40y old or a 30y older is not going to be able to have a cigar or cigarettes one day like this lady said someday you're going to walk into reading quick stop you're going to say to you you want a pack of Twinkies we'll get on the scale no your body weight you're too fat we can't sell it to you because you're taking a right away nobody's ever died not one person has ever died from secondhand smoke that's number one not in Korea but in China two out of every three people smoke in Italy there isn't even there isn't even an age limit to drink talking to you in the third person mind your own business watch your own house watch your own kids police your kids and why you're policing the about cigarettes police them about the casino that's down the street police them about the marijuana plant that just got the marijuana dispensary that's 3 miles from here teach them about that about marijuana being decriminalized teach it in the home teach it in the school don't take it away from a 21 year old person that can die that can have an abortion that can do that can pay taxes and be careful what you wish for because the people that don't smoke the cities and towns and states are losing revenue and when they lose Revenue they need something else to make up that revenue and they're going to come after the people that don't smoke and your taxes are going to go higher than they are today that's all I'm saying cigarette smoking is no good I'm I'm 65 years old I've been selling cigarettes since I was 30 less less than 30 25 I don't know how to I don't know to light a cigarette I never smoked a joint in my life and I don't drink and I came from a single parent a single mother that brought me up and told me what was right and told me what was wrong but I still had the ability to make my own decision I could have gone down the right Road and I didn't a lot of people have two mother and a father work together police them smell their clothes who are they hanging around with where are they getting the money for this it's very simple there's plenty plenty of problems in this world there's plenty of of things that are going to entice them cigarette smoking it's a thing of the past it's blaz now it's going down as you can see the world is on fire mind your own house and watch your own [Applause] kids next person is Nancy doctor thank you very much for coming uh Nancy Dr uh Pearl Street and a Precinct one meeting member I've sent my written statement in so I'm not going to repeat a lot of the data um I'll elaborate more on why I'm supporting this amendment both personally and professionally professionally as a nurse I've taken care of people who have suffered from serious medical complications from their after use um as a clinical specialist now I treat addictions and I will tell you one of the things we tell people who are dealing with addictions is you'll be much more successful in terms of relapse if you give up smoking the same time because cigarettes light up the same part of your brain so statistically if you're treating anyone with any addiction particularly opioids we encourage them to stop smoking at the same time personally both my parents have died from you tobacco related deaths now my father was an MD DDS he was a reconstructive plastic surgeon he knew better I used to in summers take the pre- and post pictures of his patients the one that really stands out for me was the farmer from the Upper Peninsula who lost part of his jaw from chew my father knew better but he didn't quit my mother had her first heart attack in her 50s anyone in healthcare knows it's pretty early for a woman to have a heart attack she didn't quit smoking she quit smoking when she was diagnosed with lung cancer and they removed part of her loobe now on her death certificate it said she died from Gest of heart failure but we all know she died from cigarette smoking both my parents died from their addiction so I applaud this body for your reforms back in 2016 that didn't close any businesses by the way when you ban flavored tobacco and I applaud your attempts to do this now because this is something that actually is worth kind of getting behind um I do believe um the idea of you passing this along with the fact that other areas communities have passed this is how to be successful I spoke last week to a retired ATF um agent who said short of a state ban this is the best solution support your local communities who are in in putting this band in effect that is the way to be successful so I urge you to support this and I really appreciate your work on this thank you thank you next person is David aimian I'm gonna pass okay thank you so then that brings up John Sasso thank you John Sasso 66 Richards Road here in Ren I guess um just for background I'm I don't smoke um I think it's a dirty habit um been very lucky over the years to see some of the changes in the landscape to um uh improve our health and I I do appreciate that um but I am uh adamantly opposed to um unelected officials making rules to take rights away from people um if the if the country wants to decide to get rid of tobacco then great let that happen um but until unless and until that place occurs I I I happen to believe this is not um a a rule or regulation that that should be provided by the Board of Health if you if you want to continue the efforts of education and and smoking C cessation and get grants I I all for that but um I don't believe this is um a role that you should be taking um where does it end I mean someone mentioned the slippery slope I'm I'm very much afraid of that I mean how far do we go do we go to the point of where we say well we're going to we're going to make sure that um the illegal immigration issue that we're having in the country today um let's take um let's let's take action locally and and not allow anybody in this in the in the city because they're an illegal alien because they're bringing mumps and measles and all sorts of other things there I I I don't believe this type of a regulation is something that that um this board um has the purview for uh regardless of what f may have said from a a legal perspective I I don't I don't approve of it and I and I hope you don't support it thank you very much I appreciate the analogies I'm just going to remind folks to to confine their remarks to the the the regulation specifically thank you um the next name is I think katein sorry hi my name is Katie hefren I'm a resident here in ring and tobacco is the only consumer product when used as directed kills you and I am a mom I have two well three kids um and I grew up in the 90s and when I was a kid when we went out to dinner there was a smoking section and a non smoking section now as a mom taking my kids out I can't even imagine people smoking cigarettes in a restaurant and I think that this type of Regulation is very similar to the smokefree workplace back in the 90s it's met with a lot of conflict met with a lot of questioning met with a lot of how far is this going to go but I think that the huge reduction that we've seen in adult smoking and in youth smoking has come from local Boards of Health like you folks that have put polic IES into place that have highlighted the dangers of smoking and that have taken it out of the public in public areas for people that don't smoke and you know I've also I lost both of my grandparents to smoking related diseases my grandmother was 56 um I think that hopefully my kids are five and three and not here yet but I'm hopeful that tobacco use specifically cigarette use will be obsolete likely once they're old enough to be tempted to start smoking or for it to be relevant in their Circles of friends or and I think that this type of Regulation where it cuts it off it in 2004 I think that is another step closer to making a you know tobacco free generation for my kids and kids to come thank you thank you next person is kathle oy kathle o at 81 middle sex Avenue thank you for having us tonight I'm going to take the perspective on the clinical end I'm a nurse nurse practitioner family nurse practitioner 30 years past 13 years I've been practicing tobacco treatment and been certified from UMass Medical School and tobacco treatment which means I treat patients with the addiction or nicotine dependence um just a little background about nicotine I think we hit on some statistics 480,000 people die of smoking related illness in this country annually and 41,000 die of secondhand smoke um we have had some regulation and restriction of cigarettes which has helped lower the rate of cigarette use but we've seen a rise in vaping products smokeless um in my practice what I do is I provide research-based tools to help people with the behavior of their nicotine dependence and help them quit um the other side is the physical side we're all born with nicotine receptors the more we smoke or chew tobacco or use nicotine products we build more receptors I have seen this in my practice I treat youth to adult adults I used to just see cigarette users and I now see vaping or cigarette and vaping users that's dual users and now I'm seeing more youth than adults triple using cigarette vape and Zen which is smokeless product this increases the need for the body and mind to have nicotine products we can treat it we can treat the physical end with nicotine replacement products such as Patches gum lazing nicotrol inhale or nasal spray and chanics and well butterine we can treat the behavioral side with tobacco treatment counseling if we approach it two prong approach treat both of those sides at the same time we have greater success unfortunately it's not 100% guarantee the average American takes 10 quid attempts on average to quit a nicotine product and quit it for good it's an average two for some 20 for others and nicotine use in this country on average the average age is age8 eight years old when the brain is developing grabbing onto that nicotine building receptors as people get older it gets harder to quit it's an arduous task so please consider this on your decision thank you thank you okay um okay so we have 10 um 10 names remaining on the list the next person is Anthony isack aack good evening hi I'm Anthony aack I'm a pharmacist at a local medical um system and I work in adult primary care taking PE taking care of people with diabetes and high-risk cardiovascular disease I also live in the town of Brookline and I was a co-sponsor along with Kate Silva on this um fairly new and novel idea to help with tobacco addiction everyone has already mentioned that tobacco is toxic to our health I'm not going to go into much of the details in terms of broad use but I want to highlight one particular thing that came across in the last couple of weeks so I work in a teaching institution and obviously it means we teach healthcare providers who are coming through there was an updated guideline on peripheral vascular disease which in the US is a number one cause of preventable amputations the biggest risk factor for peripheral vascular disease is tobacco smoking we think about cancer we think about lung disease but there are many pervasive illnesses that tobacco just puts its fingers into smokers are more than twice as likely to develop uh peripheral vascular disease tobacco addiction is important for all of us we all pay the price of it reducing Addiction in our state by 1% would reduce cost to our budget for a significant portion of our budget which is healthare by 70 million in the first year that amount of money could go towards our schools towards our roads and towards numerous other things in fact helping with small businesses run by many of our residents in this town we all pay the burden through our health insurance cost and our taxes no money comes back to the town from tobacco it goes to the state just who's at risk of addiction 93% of smokers don't have a college degree 18% of low-income households have a tobacco user adults with disabilities are nearly a two-fold risk 28% of those experiencing a psychological distress episode tobacco invol 90% tried their cigarette under the age of 18 it's not an adult choice this isn't a habit it's not like spitting on the sidewalk it's an addiction tobacco finds ways to Target a common theme vulnerable groups although we think it's a choice it isn't 68% of adult smokers want to quit 55% try to quit 7% are successful 1 in 14 one of those 14 was my father took two heart surgeries and my then 11-year-old sibling brother not willing to be around him with his asthma for my father finally quit smoking byting public policies that punish wealthy tobacco companies who are continuously trying to find ways to innovate innovate addiction such as when they came out with flavored products prior to the pandemic I just have a few more seconds sorry we have continuously had to respond with innovative solutions we band flavored and then we saw the numbers in youth go back down to pre pandemic levels this is an Innovative solution it's a a rational step to help people with vulnerable who are vulnerable to tobac companies praying actions tobacco companies continuously innovate to get people addicted this is an Innovative solution I'm here as a healthare provider and as a resident in the state although I don't live in reading but I beg that you keep this momentum going by voting in favor of a proposed policy rather than citing the tobacco thank you again for your time thank you the next name on my list is Chris Haley please thank you Chris haly uh 71 Tennyson Road um uh I'll preface this with that I'm not a smoker I've never smoked a cigarette in my life I have asthma secondhand smoke uh is very bad for me Etc um but still uh I'm here today um I have two videos that I just wanted to play you don't have to see them you just have to hear them and I assure you there is a point at the end so if I could just start that off birthday to happy birthday to you happy birthday dear a happy birthday to you A Wish I already made [Applause] mine an what did you wish for oh can't tell can't tell it's the same thing you've been wishing for forever I you to stop smoking that's right so she can come to my [Applause] my sister started smoking before uh she was legally uh allowed to um someday it is going to kill her I'm well aware of that um but uh just like Maddie from Melrose who just left um and then both of my girls um they uh won't be smoking I guarantee it but the difference is that's their decision and it's not yours thank [Applause] you next up is Emmy Dove uh Emmy Dove Charles straight um so I think there's an interesting cognitive dissonance going on in our perception of opioids versus tobacco um I think there's pretty unanimous consent that the Public Health Community you should be doing stuff about the opioid crisis um harm uh reduction limiting access Etc um but we don't seem to have the same drive with tobacco uh and the numbers just don't support that so in 2022 there are 80,000 deaths due to opioids Meanwhile as you've already heard uh cigarette smoking is the leading CA cause of prevent preventable death in the US that's causing 480,000 deaths a year that's more than the deaths caused by HIV illicit drug use alcohol use car accidents and Firearms combined when you look at the economic picture um the US few years ago had spent $35 billion doll in in that year on um uh health care costs associated with opioid use um we spent $240 billion a year on health care costs associated with tobacco use in Massachusetts that would equate to roughly $100 per household per year when we look at L productivity due to illness $24 billion for opioids $185 billion for cigarette smoking for loss productivity due to premature death 69 billion for opioids 180 billion for premature uh for cigarette smoking and then additional 7 billion from um premature death due to secondhand smoke exposure yet somehow tobacco is socially acceptable um I don't really ask folks to excuse me one I can just ask folks to keep their voices down whil respectful others were respectful for their testimony as well thanks so um on a personal note um when my uncle was 42 he was diagnosed with Advanced lung cancer um my parents became his caregivers and he spent a lot of time in our home and if you've never seen somebody die from lung cancer it's a really horrifying experience um it spread to his bones and his brain it was awful um we're all left with residual Trauma from it um so a year and a half ago when my father was diagnosed with lung cancer it stirred up a lot of feelings and worries um he was very lucky because it was an incidental finding on a scan so they caught it exceptionally early this typically does not happen um and so what really fortunate looks like is he had to drive from two states away to Boston to have an entire lobe of his lung removed um there were complications and it was a very difficult recovery um and he'll never physically be back to where he was before the procedure um and now he has that shadow hanging over him every time he goes for a follow-up scan and anyone who's ever had cancer or has been close to somebody who has cancer knows what I'm talking about um tobacco has absolutely no redeeming value and I fully support this amendment thank you next person is Aiden Wang say it right Aiden maybe they're in the Next Room in the room come on up to the podium thank you do I have to State my you can your name um your address and if there's any if you work for anyone that is related to this U my name is Aiden Hong and I'm a member of the Mystic Valley Public Health Coalition and um reading is one of the members of that I'm not from reading but I'm from Winchester um I'd like to just start by saying that according to the 2021 ybs data 31% of high schoolers reported using an electronic Vape product that's almost oneir even though technically nicotine use under the age of 21 is illegal the laws we currently have certainly are not keeping the youth away from these products underage use is so normalized in high school that we sometimes forget that it's even illegal due to the lack of restrictions St strict restrictions niine use is so prevalent in the use that in the youth that it's almost always used as an unhealth equ mechanism according to um according to the same 2021 ybs data almost 20% of Youth under the age of 21 currently use electronic V products this can get people on the wrong track for instance my friend was going through a toxic breakup and she resorted to using vaping as a coping me coping mechanism and previous speakers have um explained how Vapes and other nitin products are can be concealed in highlighters and other small products and even as a friend it can be hard to tell if they're using a vape product and I can't even help them because they can be at home behind closed doors using that and it's really detrimental to not just her school work her social life and other aspects too and it's it can be um painful to see that from a third person perspective um new products are also being a lot easier to conceal like anything like anything before um and it just keeps making youth more addicted it seems like a cool thing on the street but it actually isn't and our laws today are clearly not working this why we're here talking about this um nicotine fre generation policy and so morry measures have to be taken in order to address this problem and the only only way to solve it is to remove it therefore I am highly in support of the nitin free generation act thank you thank you next person is mAh sh shat please correct me on up to the podium hi um my name is Maha I'm from the Mystic Valley Public Health Coalition I'm not a resident of reading but I from Winchester um hi everybody so I just want to start by saying that vaping has become so normalized it's hard to even remember that it's illegal as a teen everyone around us is using substances there's literally no avoiding it I was at a local dog today with my friend swimming and I was like what does that smell and sure enough right across the dock this fully true story like two hours ago there was four kids couldn't have been above the age of 15 like Bing last week um I'm I'm a member of the Winchester school committee um I took a trip to the state house and I was talking to to some kids from Medford and I was asking them like you know what's the drug problem like in Medford um and they said it's everywhere we don't know what to do like there's you walk in the bathroom and there's kids like vaping and it's just like and I was like does do teachers do anything like does Administration do anything there was like they don't know what to do like it's everywhere like they don't know how to stop it and as teenagers we were especially susceptible to this like wanting to fit in and in the case of many of today's youth unfortunately that means vaping one student getting their hands on Vape doesn't mean just that one student is vaping because that has a domino effect on their friends on their peers on the people around them and more students are engaging with nicotine products every day nicotine has been illegal for years it's clearly not doing anything I mean it's just getting easier and easier to access these products um as of 2019 in Massachusetts more than 50% of teens reported having used an ecigarette problem at least once and that number literally Rises daily as Vapes become excuse me more prevalent in Social Circles and in the media once one person gets addicted to these products whether they were pure pressured into it or they were trying to be quote unquote cool it's incredibly hard to end such an addiction and this can have lasting effects and it can really be detrimental to the success of our youth this policy is truly not a det detent to convenience stores at the moment I Hear What I Hear the other side of this argument I do because this policy is based on birth year it will take quite a long time for convenience stores to lose all their tobacco and nicotine sales any sales that they losing right now are coming from young people that shouldn't have even be buying in the first place this gives them time to adapt and continue to stay in business and convenience stores will continue to sell other products ice cream candy and chips but our generation cannot continue to buy nicotine products without the without incurring serious health and social effects my peers and I with the Mystic Valley have done all that we can do to help the substance of use in our communities I am 16 and I spend my time fighting for this because it's something that we care about but now the responsibility falls on you all as adults we have done all that we can we've worked to the extent that we can um you need to pass this legislation to save lives thank you thank you thank you next person is Cynthia Matthew Matthew a reading resident um I just heard about this like quarter seven um this evening um didn't realize this was up um this was up was an issue um so it's quite easy uh it's it's unconstitutional to take our rights away um we have every right to um you know people drink I mean when I was five years old I almost lost both my parents from a drunk driver are we doing anything are we taking away alcohol I'm sure many of you drink drink your beers and your wine um so you know you're gonna s you're going to take that away um and when does it end I mean once you start taking our rights away then this is just one thing I mean they've already taken our raw milk away raw milk is much um healthier for you than you know conventional milk um so I I'm not a smoker I hated smoking um uh I've raised two girls and ever since they were little I embedded in them that smoking drugs any of that stuff is bad and you want to uh you know your body is um you know a God's vessel and you want to take care of it I think more what we should be concerned about is mons Santos um spraying all of our food and that's what's getting us sick that's what's causing us a lot of cancer you know Mont you know um there's you know there's so so many lobbyists that allow keep allowing Monsanto to spray our crops um so uh I'm I'm not a smoker I've always hated smoking but you can't take a can't take people's choices away and you can't take our rights away that's all I have to say thank thank you and then the next name is Tim Matthew I should have taken this room thanks for giving me this opportunity I'm not a smoker I'm not here to endorse smoking I think it's a disgusting habit there's appalling statistics that have been shared I'm a vendor to the National Cancer Institute so I'm well aware of its terrible terrible um the terrible disease that comes as a result of smoking my concern is more so associated with the slippery soap slope that other people have shared the board would be pleased to know that today I actually bought a bike right so that's a good thing but like a lot of people like considered buying a bike in New Hampshire just like people in Reading will concerns them who want tobacco will think about going to another community and there's a risk with that um I think what you have in mind has the best of intentions a lot of people have given you ideas which back up why it's you know has some sense to it but I think prohibition has delivered spotty results the prohibition era was a failure um there's 80 counties in the United States that continue to be dry counties they have some of the highest per capita rates of binge drinking in oui deaths in the nation um people are going to smoke we're going to be sending them to other towns I think that sometimes these people will be in an eated State kind of a lot of times I hate to say it but it goes hand in hand people love a good butt with with a beer I see that happening also see driving around to other towns is just simply increasing the carbon footprint and even it's a small matter um and unfortunately the Commonwealth is sanctioning pot smoking and gambling in essence you're battling a culture which is fostering addiction um give you an example of that my daughter's a senior at ring Memorial she was just asked out asked out on a date by another senior and he asked is it okay if he doesn't have a license can he drive her car meaning my car and it's okay if he comes over stoned of course he didn't get a date what I think that says is that you can't legislate good parenting and education and I think that ought to be the focus of the community is really ensuring that our young people truly understand the risk of smoking and we don't make a decision that impedes on people's rights so thank you thank you thank you um and I I see um the the name check Dandrea on the list but Mr Dandrea we we're um having one comment per person did you sign up twice did I no I didn't know which one's a sign okay I still have something else to say if you want to hear then we have to let everybody okay that's fine that's fine thanks uh so next name is Carlo Bachi coming in from the other one well thank you guys Carlo Bachi Main Street I am speaking as a resident and don't smoke can't stand smoke no one make immediate family smokes but every Sunday I went to my grandparents house and that's probably why I don't smoke they smoked at the dinner table they smoked the whole time we were there and I couldn't stand it as a young person and that's probably the reason my grandfa died of lung cancer uh smoking is bad water is good right this is government overreach that's all it is right I can say what everyone else said that's all it is is government overreach all right we're all adults and it's plain and simple I mean I I I can't there's enough enough going on in the world that this is a step in the right direction to maybe battle smoking but you take taking away our rights so tomorrow I think I'll go to cpdc and the building department and say starting in 2004 you can't pay your you can't paint your house if you buy your house after 2004 you can never paint your house again is that fair the house value is going to go down but let's keep it natural let's let the paint chip away let's keep it natural so I'm being factious but that's ridiculous we can't paint our house we can't PVE our driveway this is all you're doing is taking a right that you shouldn't be taken away I'm 100% against smoking I can smell it a mile away but that's not the point the point is government overreach thank you thank you and then the last name on the list is Aaron cachi oh is there there's another list okay let's see if we can find that while we hear from Miss B hi thank you Erin Calo Bashi I live with him I also serve as an executive director for the retail association of Massachusetts so in regards to uh businesses not closing it did have an impact on them I don't smoke I also don't drink children engage in Risky Behavior we should treat all legal adult products the same the reason children are getting access to products is there is not a minor in possession law it is very much legal for me to purchase the products and give it to my children I would never I also would never give my children alcohol until they were of legal age my grandmother smoked up until she died it wasn't the cigarettes that killed her I'm sure at some point that would have it was the alcohol we really need to be mindful of the steps that we are making because as I said I don't smoke I don't drink because it's my body my choice thank you thank you okay um thank you for alerting us that there was another list um yeah so I so no um Amy look yeah I was on the nonspeaking side nonp speaking May been some confusion no that's Erin and Cindy the Cynthia so um Salon okay um okay were there others that are here who didn't sign the speaking list who'd like to speak okay two additional folks um if you want to come up oh three sorry thank you okay um I think we have time for for the three some confusion on the list so happy to hear from folks you can just introduce yourself thank you thank folks Mark do here from Bieber Road um so I don't want to just reiterate the other things but I want to say a few things one I commend the board for taking this issue up I think this is leadership in what the town needs to do in health it's really important that we we deal with this uh number two I know I was reading the Brookline decision just to understand how this is viewed and I appreciate the Brookline folks joining in in from nor Eastern um there's a whole discussion in here in the um in the case write up talks about how they have previously recognized the ill effects of tobacco use particularly when it involves miners as a legitimate Municipal Health concern justifying Municipal regulation of tobacco products and that's actually a previous decision from 2022 that they highlight here second thing I wanted to highlight was um this is I did some research just to see what was going on and I came up with an article in nature magazine April of this year entitled smoking bands are coming what does the evidence say and it comes out and the the top part of the headline is countries are cracking down on tobacco use and vaping the laws can save thousands of lives and billions of dollars more specifically the World Health Organization estimated tobacco use cost the World $1.4 trillion every year in health expenditures and lost productivity quote every tobacco related illness is adding to the burden on the health system unnecessarily I see this as an opportunity for this community I see um the only way that this is really going to work is if the community is all band together which is exactly what's happening I see that there was leadership from Governor Baker back in 2018 starting with much stricter tobacco regulations I see that he came out 2019 at one point and actually created a complete ban on vaping until we could get rid of some of the flavored and other activities I I strongly support uh passing these amendments and appreciate your efforts here thank you thank you and hi Linda snow doxer town meeting member and also on the board of the reading Coalition for prevention and support first of all I want to say thank you to all of the people that have stood up here especially the students to talk about the reality of the dangers of smoking and the addiction the risks thank you to the Board of Health for having this hearing because you didn't have to and um it's very much appreciated um I became involved actually found my public voice in the late 1980s 90s around the smoke smoking in public places issue that was my first time speaking ever at a town meeting um restaurants claimed that if we stopped the smoking in the restaurants people would stop coming they didn't stop coming now people can taste the food when they go to eat and we can bring our children and ourselves safely um my uncle was a bartender he died of secondhand smoke exposure for a long for lung of lung cancer and another cousin died of a thank you what thank you cancer um from smoking and he had stopped smoking but it was from when he started as a kid when people didn't know how dangerous it was liquor cannot be sold to Miners And when those rules were passed drunk driving accidents and fatality ities went down the access to Vapes and jewels Etc as the students pointed out can be hidden I see kids driving by me sitting at lights vaping um it's scary to me and pediatricians I've read articles pediatricians don't know what to do with the damage that's being caused to their lungs we don't have the answers I think that our job your job is to help protect our youth not make money off of them and I am very grateful for this amendment for this nicotine free generation movement and I fully support this amendment and I appreciate you're hearing our voices thank you thank you and the last is the gentleman on the back you raised your hand just come and introduce yourself yeah hi my name is SRE Patel uh thank you for allowing me to speak in front of the board I'm not a smoker not a drinker never have I'm not I'm not here to promote the smoking I'm also thank you the Board of Health to bringing us together today to discuss an issue of great significant uh that intervin public health economic stability and individual freedoms we are here to address the proposal to ban the sell of decoding products to individual born after 2004 while this proposal is r in the noble intention of protecting Public Health it is crucial to consider the broader implication it holds we must also consider the principle of harm fairness and equ equality a band together targeting those born up to 2004 creates a generation generational divide effectively discriminating against the younger adults while allowing older individual to continue purchasing those products this is inconsistency challenges the principle of equal treat under the law adults regardless of their bir years should have the right to make informed choices about their consumption habits instead of imposing a ban we should prioritize education and harm reduction strategies that Empower individuals to make healthier decision furthermore we must aware of the potential and unintended consequences history has shown us the prohibition often leads to this to of the black market and illegal trade if it is restrict the sell of nicotine products to the specific age group We R driving the market underground where unregulated and potentially dangerous products could multiply this would not only undermine Public Health but also Place additional burden on the law enforement enforcement and Regulatory choices agencies I have 24y old daughter and nieces and nephews are 20s and 30s Who Never Smoke not because of the smoking ban or the town not uh but with the right education and guidance and they decided not to make a they decided to make the right choice which is not smoking it is not town or smoking band uh did that in conclusion while the health risk ass associated with nicotin consumption are well documented and intention behind this this proposal is commendable a ban on the sell nicotin product to individual Ban born after 2004 is not the answer such a measure would harm small business owners disrupt local economies and create a host of unintended consequences let us Focus instead of comprehensive education and harm reduction strategies that respect individual choices and support the economic Vitality of our communities thank you for your attention and considering the broader impact of this proposal I thank you again if you could just sign in just we have your record that you spoke thank you okay um so unless there is another voice that has wishes to be heard um I think that this concludes the testimon I want to make one more Point uh 10 seconds uh speaker earlier said that um nobody's no no stores have ever closed because of this two did pns and JK's closed reading Quick Stop is the last Standalone convenience door on reading just want to point that thank you Mr D you just want to say one last I'm sorry I really most of the people who spoke tonight are not even from Reading I me you're out of I haven't recognized you I'm sorry care I really don't care excuse me I really need to I need to allow folks all the opportunity so that's all if you I had five seconds to say what are you telling me yeah I'm not going to you want me to speak or not you were shouting at me and I was asking you not to so if you have something to say and you'd like to approach the podium and share it say my imp that wasn't approprate I just do people made a lot of good points tonight but I always surprised I didn't realize there would be such a coordinated effort for people outside of writing to come in students lawyers doctors they did a great job of coordinating I suspect your opinions were made up in a onest decision before tonight I don't think our voices really are con con I I would be surprised if the decision Falls in my and others favor but um I just hope the voices of reading are are heard loud and clear and first because I think most of the voices and in mark and um they made great points as did some others they made great points on you the cause for this prohibition um but I think there were more people against it and I just hope that was understood because there were a lot of Outsiders and this is town so thank you for giving um and there were there was additional testimony received in writing we've received a number of letters from um and emails that uh day the director has been collecting for us all of those things are considered in our deliberations so I think at this time I'll entertain a motion to close the public hearing so move is there a second second okay and all in favor none opposed passes 4 Z thank you so the the hearing is closed thank you for coming I'm going to invite the select board to um adjourn themselves thank you [Music] okay second we didn't elevate so Qui second second okay uh all in favor oppos wow thank you we are ch e