Board Votes to Raise Age to Buy Cigarettes to 21

Come November, you’re going to have to be 21-years-old to buy cigarettes in Wilmington.

Board of Health members voted to raise the age requirement from 18 at a public hearing Tuesday night. But that wasn’t the only change to the town’s tobacco regulations. The change goes into effect on Nov. 1.

Nine representatives from various retailers in town were in attendance at the Tuesday night meeting and all were in favor of raising the minimum age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21.

At Tuesday night’s meeting, the board also voted to not allow tobacco sales in drug stores located in town. CVS already pulled them from shelves nationwide back in 2014 and with Walgreens closure last month, Rite Aid is the only drug store in town that would need to comply with the new regulation.

The board decided to hold off on a proposed ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products and revisit the issue at a future date.