Town Considers Banning Sale Of Tobacco Products
The Westminster, Massachusetts Board of Health will hold a public hearing Wednesday on a proposed regulation that could make Westminster the first municipality in the United States to ban the <a class="" href='http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/Town-Considers-Banning-Sale-Of-Tobacco-Products-282068411.html#'><span style="font-weight:normal;font-size:100%;color:rgb(0,153,0);background-color:transparent;">sale </span></a>of all tobacco products.
http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/Town-...68411.html
WTHeck? I'm not a smoker but this is ridiculous. Government needs to butt out, no pun intended. Next they'll be telling us how much toilet paper we can use.
If the people of Westminster Mass want to ban the sale of tobacco, or toilet paper, I have no problem with it. That's their business.
Of course it just means that everyone there who wants to smoke will spend their money elsewhere. I think it's a stupid idea, but I have no problem with distant towns choosing to adopt stupid ideas.
Didn't Bloomberg try this with Big Gulps?
In with malabarjag on this as well. Townships and local communities are where these decisions are to be made. It's stupid but if the ___ people of that town agree they want a tobacco free town so be it.
Quote:In with malabarjag on this as well. Townships and local communities are where these decisions are to be made. It's stupid but if the ___ people of that town agree they want a tobacco free town so be it.
You think it's okay as long as the people of the town want it? I thought you were a libertarian!
You think townships and communities are where these decisions should be made. Well why not neighborhoods? Why not blocks? Why not individual houses? Why stop at townships?
Personally, if I were a citizen of that town, I would want to know why this is a good idea. So unless someone gave me a
real good reason, which I have not heard yet, I would say no to banning tobacco. It's a personal choice.
Quote:You think it's okay as long as the people of the town want it? I thought you were a libertarian!
You think townships and communities are where these decisions should be made. Well why not neighborhoods? Why not blocks? Why not individual houses? Why stop at townships?
Personally, if I were a citizen of that town, I would want to know why this is a good idea. So unless someone gave me a real good reason, which I have not heard yet, I would say no to banning tobacco. It's a personal choice.
Personal choice extends to groups of people as well, if a local township, community, city ect.....decides they don't want a type of commerce in their jurisdiction so be it. If I want tobacco I'll make sure I don't live in those townships, communities, cities. It happens all the time, cities prohibit strip clubs or adult entertainment and so on.
A big part of being libertarian is letting people make choices even if we don't agree with it. I don't agree with banning tobacco, it's a legal product but if some random city in Mass. does it so what, it's not different than the city in Georgia prohibiting adult entertainment.
Different levels of government have different roles. Absolutely at the local level is where we should see these things played out.
Quote:Personal choice extends to groups of people as well, if a local township, community, city ect.....decides they don't want a type of commerce in their jurisdiction so be it. If I want tobacco I'll make sure I don't live in those townships, communities, cities. It happens all the time, cities prohibit strip clubs or adult entertainment and so on.
A big part of being libertarian is letting people make choices even if we don't agree with it. I don't agree with banning tobacco, it's a legal product but if some random city in Mass. does it so what, it's not different than the city in Georgia prohibiting adult entertainment.
Different levels of government have different roles. Absolutely at the local level is where we should see these things played out.
I agree if the decision has to be made then this is the level to do it at. I guess I just don't see the point in banning it. Businesses would lose money, the state would lose the tax and you'd have a lot of [BAD WORD REMOVED] off people (the smokers or people who just don't agree with it) who, during the next local election, would vote out of office the people who made the decision.
I can't imagine store owners being okay with this, especially convenience store owners. A great deal of their sales are alcohol and tobacco.
Quote:Personal choice extends to groups of people as well, if a local township, community, city ect.....decides they don't want a type of commerce in their jurisdiction so be it. If I want tobacco I'll make sure I don't live in those townships, communities, cities. It happens all the time, cities prohibit strip clubs or adult entertainment and so on.
A big part of being libertarian is letting people make choices even if we don't agree with it. I don't agree with banning tobacco, it's a legal product but if some random city in Mass. does it so what, it's not different than the city in Georgia prohibiting adult entertainment.
Different levels of government have different roles. Absolutely at the local level is where we should see these things played out.
How does this play out? Does it just make it illegal for stores to sell cigs and ecigs like noted in the article? Or is it an outright ban. I.E. illegal if someone orders online and has shipped to their house where the use it in? Obviously they can ban in public areas but can they make this illegal like on par with pot being illegal?
Quote:I agree if the decision has to be made then this is the level to do it at. I guess I just don't see the point in banning it. Businesses would lose money, the state would lose the tax and you'd have a lot of [BAD WORD REMOVED] off people (the smokers or people who just don't agree with it) who, during the next local election, would vote out of office the people who made the decision.
I can't imagine store owners being okay with this, especially convenience store owners. A great deal of their sales are alcohol and tobacco.
Oh I don't think the "ban" will last or work, if anything the city will probably turn it over pretty quick.
Quote:How does this play out? Does it just make it illegal for stores to sell cigs and ecigs like noted in the article? Or is it an outright ban. I.E. illegal if someone orders online and has shipped to their house where the use it in? Obviously they can ban in public areas but can they make this illegal like on par with pot being illegal?
I'd assume it's just the sale or use of the product in public areas? I don't see how they could possibly claim jurisdiction within the privacy of someone's home. That would be a completely different issue.
Quote:I'd assume it's just the sale or use of the product in public areas? I don't see how they could possibly claim jurisdiction within the privacy of someone's home. That would be a completely different issue.
I'm kind of torn on this. As an ex smoker and a current ecig user i'd be pretty livid to see personal choice banned outright. At the same time I understand a community's desire to do so. Still trampling on the liberties of those who don't want this though. I don't like that part.
Quote:I'm kind of torn on this. As an ex smoker and a current ecig user i'd be pretty livid to see personal choice banned outright. At the same time I understand a community's desire to do so. Still trampling on the liberties of those who don't want this though. I don't like that part.
I'm not even a smoker anymore and I'd have a serious problem if someone was trying to do it in a community I lived in. But from a legal standpoint it's up to that specific community to decide.
I am not a smoker. I was in the past. I see both sides. It's not about smoking though.
It's about the consequence of elections. People have surrendered far too much power to elitists who claim to be public servants.
Elections do have consequences. If tobacco users don't like it, tough. They elected the morons who put the knife into their collective backs.
Never smoked, but if they want to do it, it's w/e, better them then the federal government outlawing it throwing on mandatory sentences if you're caught smoking or selling.
As I see it the Board of Health is behind this so their objective is to reduce the incidence of health related problems which consumes finances from their township.
Unfortunately stopping the sale of a legal product is not going to encourage people to stop smoking. So in my mind the initiative has no redeeming value to the community.
Regards........................the Chiefjag
UPDATE!
Town's tobacco ban hearing too rowdy, ends early
WESTMINSTER, Mass. (AP) - Only a handful of people were able to speak on a proposal that could make the tiny Massachusetts town of Westminster the first in the nation to ban all sales of tobacco products when boos and shouts from the crowd shut down the public hearing Wednesday night.
http://www.myfoxny.com/story/27360334/he...nded-early
Quote:As I see it the Board of Health is behind this so their objective is to reduce the incidence of health related problems which consumes finances from their township.
Unfortunately stopping the sale of a legal product is not going to encourage people to stop smoking. So in my mind the initiative has no redeeming value to the community.
Regards........................the Chiefjag
They should just tax it more, that works so well everywhere else!
Quote:
UPDATE!
Town's tobacco ban hearing too rowdy, ends early
WESTMINSTER, Mass. (AP) - Only a handful of people were able to speak on a proposal that could make the tiny Massachusetts town of Westminster the first in the nation to ban all sales of tobacco products when boos and shouts from the crowd shut down the public hearing Wednesday night.
http://www.myfoxny.com/story/27360334/he...nded-early
Good
Quote:
UPDATE!
Town's tobacco ban hearing too rowdy, ends early
WESTMINSTER, Mass. (AP) - Only a handful of people were able to speak on a proposal that could make the tiny Massachusetts town of Westminster the first in the nation to ban all sales of tobacco products when boos and shouts from the crowd shut down the public hearing Wednesday night.
http://www.myfoxny.com/story/27360334/he...nded-early
Good for the people of that town, this is exactly what we SHOULD see happen everything these moral legislative pieces come up. It's also an example of why these issues should be fought on the local level, where people CAN protest and be heard.
Imagine a state trying to impose this or worse Washington D.C. you think they really hear town halls crying foul?