City budgets tobacco and substance‑use prevention grants; officials say cannabis‑related education separate from compliance work

Public‑health officials described two recurring grants to the Finance Committee: the annual tobacco compliance grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and a MassCall substance‑use prevention grant that supports intervention and education across three cities. The tobacco grant funds a compliance program including a director and underage "secret shoppers" who attempt purchases to detect sales to minors. "It funds the director as well as what we call our secret shoppers," said Helen (public‑health representative). The MassCall grant, also from DPH and administered regionally with Chicopee and Holyoke, funds interventions and referrals for young people and funds partnerships with community organizations such as the South End Community Center. A resident, Steven Howard, asked whether the tobacco and MassCall programs are connected to the city’s work on synthetic cannabinoids. Public‑health staff answered that while the compliance processes are similar and staff coordinate across programs, the grants are separate from the municipal ordinance addressing synthetic cannabinoids. The HHS commissioner said there is no special funding attached to the cannabinoid ordinance, but the city has a marijuana compliance coordinator who will monitor sellers. Officials said they will send 400 letters to convenience stores, restaurants and other venues and hold one‑on‑one meetings with the 14 entities known to be selling the products; the city will identify storage for confiscated items and coordinate with police when items are removed. City staff characterized the tobacco and MassCall grants as recurring, noncompetitive funding streams that support staffing and programming. The committee agreed to forward the grant orders to the City Council for routine approval.