Board of Health to Address Tobacco Violation With Shell Gas Owner

The Westwood Board of Health plans to discuss a tobacco violation next month with the owner of the near the on Providence Highway. 

The issue revolves around an incident stemming from Sunday, Oct. 30, when an employee at the station sold a pack of Newport cigarettes to a minor. 

"There were compliance checks conducted on Sunday, Oct. 30," said Westwood Health Director Linda Shea at the Board of Health's monthly meeting Tuesday afternoon. "What the inspection report from the tobacco control consultant said, it was a young adult."

A public hearing was scheduled for Tuesday during the Board of Health's monthly meeting, but Shimon Cohen, the owner of the business, asked to have the hearing postponed due to illness.

A similar incident took place in December of 2007, Shea said, which the Board of Health dismissed in February 2008 after holding a public hearing.

The more recent incident would be deemed a first offense, as the board's health regulations state that if an offense hasn't been recorded within the last 24 months, the business at hand is reverted back to a first offense.

A first offense for selling tobacco to a minor in Westwood results in a $100 fine, a public hearing before the Board of Health and the business would lose their tobacco license for a day. 

A second offense would result in a $200 fine with a loss of license for seven days, and a third offense would result in a $300 fine with a loss of license for a month. 

"To me, the regulations are pretty clear," Shea said.

The hearing will take place at the Board of Health's next meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 13.