"Our main focus is on the children in our community," she said, noting that children who shopped at stores where tobacco was sold were 64 per cent more likely to start smoking cigarettes than children who did not.
The board proposal cites a recent report from the US surgeon-general that says this year alone, nearly 500,000 adults in the country will die prematurely because of smoking. Health officials said they were particularly frustrated by what they perceived as efforts by tobacco companies to hook young people with products such as cheap bubblegum-flavoured "cigars", electronic cigarettes and a new form of dissolvable smokeless tobacco that resembled sweets. "Change has to start somewhere," said Elizabeth Swedberg, the town health agent.
But many residents of Westminster have rejected the calls for change. "This is about freedom. It's my body and it's my choice to smoke," said Nate Johnson, 32, a local farmer and car worker, as he smoked a cigarette at a protest rally before the hearing. Opponents held signs declaring "It's not about tobacco - it's about control" and "Smoke 'em if you got them".
The ban would prohibit sales of all products containing tobacco or nicotine, including cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and electronic cigarettes, often touted as an alternative to nicotine. Several cities and states have previously imposed restrictive rules on where people can smoke.
The proposals have aroused fierce criticism since they were made public on October 27. More than 1000 residents have already signed a petition against the ban and there is a separate move to unseat the three board members.
Brian Vincent, the owner of Vincent's Country Store, which sells tobacco products worth US$100,000 a year, has led the resistance. "We need to keep Westminster dollars being spent in Westminster, not going to the next town over," he said."If this passes, what could be next? Sugar? Bacon?"
But there was also support for the board's proposal, if less vociferous. "I just think it's a great step in a positive way to promote a healthy town, a healthy lifestyle," said Vicki Tobin, who hopes that a ban would keep cigarettes out of the sight, and minds, of her three boys.
Crete said the board would accept written comments on the proposal until December 1 and would then vote on whether to enact the ban.
E-cigarette usage triples
Use of electronic cigarettes by US high school students tripled over three years, according to a new government report.
In a large national survey last year, 4.5 per cent of high school students said they had used e-cigarettes in the previous month. That's up from 1.5 per cent in 2011 and 2.8 per cent in 2012. It's not known, though, how many were repeatedly using e-cigarettes and how many only tried it once during that month and didn't do it again.
E-cigarettes began to appear in the US in late 2006, but marketing has exploded in recent years. The devices heat liquid nicotine into a vapour. They are often described as a less dangerous alternative to regular cigarettes, but experts say nicotine - including the nicotine in e-cigarettes - is especially harmful to children.
Dozens of states outlaw the sale of e-cigarettes to minors, and federal officials have proposed a nationwide ban on such sales.
The CDC survey also found 13 per cent of high school students recently smoked regular cigarettes.
-AP
