Worcester Board of Health suspends Dames for Dames tobacco permit after flavored-product violation; marijuana found on premises noted

The Worcester Board of Health voted to suspend the tobacco sales permit for Dames for Dames, 80 West Street, for 45 days after city investigators reported the store sold prohibited flavored tobacco products and had evidence suggesting other licensing violations.

Board Chair Trico Sanchez said investigators conducted an undercover purchase on March 26, 2025, then returned to the store two days later to serve a citation and inspect the premises. Officer Harrington told the board that on the subsequent inspection officers found nine 3.5-gram pouches of marijuana in a drawer to the right of the register and an undetermined amount of U.S. currency; he said the store does not hold a retail cannabis license. Investigator Kyle O'Connor and city Tobacco Compliance staff assisted in the inspection and the incident was captured on Worcester police body-worn camera, according to staff remarks at the hearing.

The board's action addressed the tobacco violation. Staff told the board the statutory penalty for the tobacco violation is a $5,000 citation (which can be contested in court) and that the board may impose a suspension of selling tobacco products for a period that staff described as typically 7 to 30 business days under local tobacco rules. At the hearing, a motion to suspend the store's tobacco permit for 45 days was made and approved by a majority vote.

Board members discussed proximity to Elm Park Community School and whether the store had been grandfathered when proximity rules were enacted. Staff said existing permitted retailers active before the proximity rules were approved were grandfathered; mapping to verify the store's precise distance to the school was offered for follow-up.

Store representative Princess Morales said she was representing the owners, who were out of the country, and stated she had not received paperwork showing the marijuana found on the premises and that the marijuana "was for personal use" of an employee, according to her remarks. The board noted the department's authority covers tobacco regulation and enforcement; the presence of marijuana on the premises was described by staff as a separate, concerning matter that would be handled by other city or state enforcement channels.

Ending: The board chair and staff said the owners would receive official notice of the suspension and the citation, and staff will follow up with details on the effective dates of the suspension and the process to contest civil fines in court. The board emphasized that its suspension applies to the tobacco permit; any criminal or civil action related to cannabis possession or sale was outside the board's tobacco enforcement authority and would be addressed by other agencies.