Blunt Wrap Makers Sue Boston Over Tobacco Sales Ban

Three manufacturers of tobacco-based rolling papers are suing the city of Boston over the city’s new tobacco regulations, which include a prohibition on ’blunt wrap’ sales, the  Boston Globe reported Feb. 7.

The ban, which went into effect this week, also prohibits the sale of cigarettes in pharmacies and in stores on college campuses. However, tobacco products — excluding blunt wraps — can be sold in other stores.

“If they treated us like every other tobacco product, we wouldn’t be filing this suit. But they singled us out,” said James Brett, who represents the blunt wrap makers.

The Boston Public Health Commission contends that the wraps, sold in fruit flavors, appeal to underage users and are “used almost exclusively for illicit purposes” like smoking marijuana, according to executive director Barbara Ferrer.

“There’s a detrimental impact on the health and well-being of young people and the community with the sale of blunt wraps, which is why we eliminated them,” she said.