Boston Quietly Bans Blunt Sales | The Daily Chronic

It seems that convenience stores have been selling down their supply of blunts in preparation for February’s impending ban on blunt sales in the city of Boston.

What? You didn’t know that Boston was about to ban blunts? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. There has been little publication or media reports of the Boston Public Health Commission’s decision to quietly ban the sales of blunts, or any cigar costing under $2.50.

But, yes, it is true. On December 1, 2011, the Boston Public Health Commission, who have already banned tobacco sales at pharmacies, smoking outdoors in public spaces, and the sale of blunt wraps within Boston city limits, quietly passed a city ordinance banning the sale of any single cigar at convenience stores, including all of your favorite blunts.

The ban is effective February 1, 2012. +

Their reasoning?

“Cigar wraps are used, particularly by young urban males, to create custom marijuana cigarettes and have been marketed through use of marijuana imagery,” the Appeals Court wrote.

An investigation cited in the ruling found that 900 establishments in Boston sold cigar wraps.

Cigar wraps can contribute to tobacco use, the Appeals Court determined. “The regulation is a permissible exercise of the commission’s expansive authority to safeguard public health and is constitutional in its origins and operation. The regulation is rationally related to its permissible purpose of protecting residents of Boston, particularly young residents, from the harmful effects of tobacco use.” +