A 2011 Boston regulation that set minimum pricing and packaging requirements has successfully reduced the availability of fruit-flavored cigars that were becoming increasingly popular among youth, according to a new study published in Tobacco Control.
The Boston Board of Health’s 2011 regulation required all retailers to sell cigars in an original package of at least four cigars. Single cigars could only be sold for more than $2.50, almost twice the price prior to the regulation.
The study found a 34.4 percent decrease in the percentage of stores selling single, flavored cigars across all neighborhoods. It also found that all Boston tobacco retailers — more than 1,100 citywide — were compliant with the policy as of December 2014, 15 months after the policy had been implemented.