Concord, Massachusetts – the birthplace of American freedom – is looking to take away an adult's personal choice of how to live their lives.

This week, the Board of Health held its second public hearing weighing new ball and chain restrictions on all tobacco products, not just menthol or flavored ones. In a draconian effort to get a handle on the rise of nicotine addiction in youth, the totalitarians are moving to limit the sale of tobacco products to adult-only stores.

Here's the catch: while the town has 14 retail stores that sell tobacco products, there are no adult-only stores. In other words, welcome back to the 1920s and a complete prohibition.

Some of the citizens, maybe veterans who fought in wars for our freedoms, put up a fight against the proposed rules, saying that it wasn't OK for adults to take away the freedom of other adults to purchase a legal product. They are right. If the mahatmas of health really wanted to make a positive change, they'd educate the parents of the youth who have an addiction problem what to do. It's the youth who've created this predicament, not the adults who'll be punished for the kids' ailments. Put the focus where it belongs.

I'm not sure if there are grounds for a lawsuit here because a lot of government boards are protected from that kind of action, but I'd be shivering in my boots if I was a Big Gulp.

Phil Paleologos is the host of The Phil Paleologos Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Contact him at phil@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @PhilPaleologos. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

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