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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — A proposed ban on menthol cigarettes has convenience store owners concerned about their business. Now they are protesting on Beacon Hill.
The ban includes all flavored tobacco products including menthol and e-cigarette products.
"It's a free market out there, if people want to buy it, it doesn't strike me as fair for the business owners," one protester told WBZ NewsRadio.
The marketing and retail practices of tobacco target communities of color as vaping targets children, according to the Boston Public Health Commission.
"I like my cigarettes," a smoker said. "If they're 18, 21 and they're consenting adults, they have every right to do it."
If passed, stores could face a $200 fine as a first-offense violation for selling menthol products.
There will be a public hearing before the Boston Public Health Commission on Thursday.
WBZ NewsRadio's Chris Fama (@CFamaWBZ) reports
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