Pharmacies in New York would be prohibited from selling tobacco products under a bill introduced in the state legislature, the New York Legislative Gazette reported Jan. 18.

The measure introduced by Assemblyman Sam Hoyt would ban the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products at pharmacies and establishments that contain pharmacies; that would include stores like CVS, Walgreens and Duane Reade.

Hoyt said the recent decision of upstate supermarket chain Wegmans to voluntarily stop selling tobacco products inspired the legislation. He added that pharmacies are supposed to be health and wellness centers and should not be selling deadly products like cigarettes.

Ted Potrikus, head of the Retail Council of New York State, said the bill would just encourage smokers to find other places to buy cigarettes. "Tobacco products are still legal in the state of New York," Potrikus said. "Forcing legitimate businesses to take legitimate products off the shelves is usually not something that sits well with retailers."

Hoyt, however, said that community health should come before profits. He is urging retailers to follow the examples of Wegmans, Target, and Canadian Wal-Mart stores, all of which have stopped selling tobacco products.

"We always thought that pharmacies that deliver health care to their customers should not sell tobacco," said Joel Spivak, a spokesperson for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Ironically, Wegmans officials said the company would not support Hoyt's bill, saying that individual retailers should make such decisions for themselves. That's in line with the thinking of the tobacco industry, which also opposes the legislation.