Stay Informed

Sign up for news & alerts

Already signed up?
Login here
What Can I Do?


Get Help
Need alcohol or drug help for yourself or someone else? GET HELP
Continuing Education
Free online courses for addiction counselors LEARN ONLINE
Resources
Resources
Find useful publications, online documents & more.


DrugScreening.org


 
S.F. Mayor Wants to Ban Pharmacies from Selling Cigarettes
July 16, 2008

Share Share Email
Email
Print
Print
SubscribeSubscribe
News Summary

Pharmacies would be banned from selling tobacco products under a new smoking-prevention plan submitted to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors by Mayor Gavin Newsom, the San Francisco Chronicle reported July 16.

If approved, the pharmacy-sales ban would be the first of its kind in the U.S., although such sales are prohibited in eight Canadian provinces. The proposed sales ban has been approved by the city health commission but still faces a vote by the Board of Supervisors. If passed, it would go into effect on Oct. 1.

As drafted, the law would apply to freestanding pharmacies but not retail stores with pharmacies in them, like Wal-Mart or Costco.

A plan from Supervisor Chris Daly also calls for broadening an existing ban on indoor smoking to include owner-operated businesses as well as prohibiting smoking in taxis, rental cars, city-owned vehicles, and other locations. Some health advocates argue that the move to make San Francisco's indoor-smoking ban more comprehensive is overdue.

COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE:

Posted by Mike Levy on 17 Jul 08 01:48 PM EDT
Smoking is bad, Mayor Newsom...but so is letting convicted juvinile drug dealing illegal immigrants off the hook by sending them to a place that they can easily escape from. Don't worry though, they'll soon be back on San Fransisco Streets peddling narcotics once again.

Posted by Frank on 17 Jul 08 11:18 AM EDT
Tobacco is an illegal drug, based on the fact that it is ILLEGAL to POISON PEOPLE, no matter how slowly you do it! ALL tobacco sales, everywhere, should be banned. Tobacco is a weapon of mass destruction.

Posted by David Rosenbloom on 17 Jul 08 10:50 AM EDT
I still remember the day in the late 50's when my father came home and told us he was no longer going to sell cigarettes in his corner drug store. He said he couldn't deal with the contradiction of selling medicine to make people well and also selling a product that made them sick. Friends and other drug store owners told him he was crazy and that customer traffic into the store would fall so sharply that he might be put out of business. The next day the cigarettes were gone; the store survived for many years more; and all of us were proud of our father. - David Rosenbloom

Posted by JK in Ottawa on 17 Jul 08 09:39 AM EDT
Congrats to San Fran on taking a stand against pharmacies selling tobacco ... unfortunately the ban falls a little short: it should apply to all pharmacies regardless of location (free stnading vs Walmart or Costco). In Ontario (and perhaps the rest of Canada but I can't say for sure), Walmart does not sell tobacco in any of its stores.... interesting that they have such different policies in Ontario and in the US.

Your Turn! Post a public comment (read guidelines):

Name:

Comment:
(limit 200
words)
Enter this word
(help):		 Change

GUIDELINES: 
To keep this feature useful for all, please:

  1. Keep it clean, courteous, and on-topic. Comments are meant for thoughtful discussion of the article published above.

  2. Do not post promotional links to organizations, products or services, or personal requests for assistance (get help).

  3. Proof your comments carefully, use good spelling and punctuation, and don't use ALL CAPS. Comments are published immediately and cannot be edited.

Deceptive, slanderous and commercially-motivated posts are prohibited. We reserve the right to remove comments not conforming to these guidelines. (Report a comment).

Have questions or feedback? Contact us.