Belchertown Board of Health Upholds $1,000 Fines Against Two Tobacco Retailers in 3-2 Vote

BELCHERTOWN — March 23, 2026 — Belchertown Board of Health votes 3-2 to uphold tobacco fines at two retailers under new nicotine rule. The board affirmed $1,000 fines and three-day tobacco-sales suspensions against Village Package Store at 16 Federal Street and Ye Olde Grogg Shoppe at 32 Depot Street after a December 15, 2025 compliance check found both had sold cigarettes to a 21-year-old born after January 1, 2004, violating the town's Nicotine-Free Generation regulation. Board Administrator Andrea Crete told the board that two out of ten retailers failed the check, and that in-person education visits had been conducted in January 2025 and again on November 20, 2025. Members Ken Elstein and Gail Gramarossa, joined by Chair Jim Potter, voted to affirm both penalties; members Colleen DuroShea and David Gottsegen, MD voted against in both cases. Gramarossa said waiving a first-offense penalty would set a precedent requiring equal treatment for all future first-time violators. The board also unanimously approved a non-binding resolution urging the Massachusetts legislature to ban direct-to-consumer online nicotine sales, and set an April 17, 2026 compliance deadline for Krispy's Restaurant, which is operating without a valid 2026 food permit and is again delinquent on town taxes.