Plymouth Board of Health approves stable variance, defers tobacco nicotine cap vote

PLYMOUTH -- January 21, 2026, Plymouth's Board of Health voted 5-0 on six separate actions at its January 21 meeting and set up a binding tobacco regulation vote for February. The board unanimously approved septic variances for four properties, 9 Blueberry Road and 139 Manomet Point Road through Bracken Engineering, and 10 Shore Road through Webby Engineering, while also removing a 2005 two-bedroom deed restriction from 5 Smith Terrace that Public Health Director Karen Keane said "was never warranted in the first place." The board granted a stable variance allowing Alexandra and David Robbins of 16 Kirk Circle to keep two full-sized horses after their miniature horse was euthanized, over odor objections from neighbor Bernadette Moyer of 131 Lunn's Way; Keane noted Plymouth is a Right to Farm community and that animal control officers found conditions at the property acceptable. Board member Amy Palmer, MPH, presented proposed tobacco regulation changes including a six-milligram-per-pouch nicotine cap; multiple Plymouth permit holders, including Sachin Patel of Corner Store at 233 Sandwich Street and Daniel Griffin of the Vapeway, spoke in opposition or raised questions about FDA marketing authorization scope, prompting the board to defer the vote to February 4, 2026.