Bill > H2052

This bill aims to ban the sale of cigars in packages containing fewer than five cigars, with the stated goal of improving public health. The bill defines "cigar" broadly as any roll of tobacco wrapped in leaf tobacco or a tobacco-containing substance, excluding those classified as "cigarettes" under federal law. An "original package" is defined as the manufacturer's container intended for sale to consumers as a unit, not to be broken apart for individual cigar sales. The bill prohibits any person from selling or distributing cigars commercially unless they are in an original package of at least five cigars and include a required health warning. However, there are exceptions: sales within a "retail tobacco store" (defined as a store primarily selling tobacco products with restricted entry for minors), the sale of individual cigars with a wholesale price over $2.00 or a retail price over $2.50, and sales to other businesses for distribution outside the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are exempt from this restriction. Violators face escalating fines, starting at $100 for a first offense, with daily violations counted separately, and enforcement will be carried out by local health boards, the department of public health, and municipal agencies, with no preemption of stricter state or local regulations on tobacco sales.