From: Ken Elstein Sent: Friday, May 23, 2025 6:24 AM EDT To: Dylan Labonte CC: Maureen Buzby Subject: Nicotine Free Generation Attachment(s): "Bellingham Postcard.png" CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. I know that you and Maureen Buzby have been communicating about the upcoming Town Meeting regarding possible questions about Nicotine Free Generation (NFG). I have just completed my fifth year as an elected member of the Belchertown Board of Health. Belchertown and Bellingham have approximately the same population. 1. We enacted NFG in our December meeting, one of the sixteen communities to do so, effective on January 1st of this year. 2. A year earlier we amended our tobacco bylaw to prevent any new tobacco retailer licenses. In the five months that NFG has been in effect in Belchertown, I have not heard of a single complaint from either nicotine dealers nor from the public regarding NFG. As we explained to our merchants at the time, the effect of limiting new tobacco licenses is to grant them a local monopoly on sales, therefore strengthening their businesses against future competition. FYI: The attached postcard has been mailed to a large proportion of likely Town Meeting attendees. It may answer some possible questions in advance. Also, would it be possible to send me a copy of the proposed bylaw. I have been unable to find it online. Thank you, and good luck on Wednesday! --Ken Elstein, Member, Belchertown Board of Health