New York Considers Statewide Cigarette Sales Ban for Pharmacies

New York Considers Statewide Cigarette Sales Ban for Pharmacies
April 23, 2009

News Summary

Newly proposed legislation could make New York the first U.S. state to prohibit the sale of tobacco products in pharmacies, supermarkets and department stores that include pharmacy counters, the Associated Press reported April 20.

San Francisco and Boston passed similar bills last year, but New York would be the first to implement a statewide ban. The measure would permit cigarette sales only in locations where a wall and separate entrance are provided for the pharmacy.

"Health care and cigarettes don't mix," said Russ Sciandra of the Center for a Tobacco Free New York. "Obviously it's going to provoke opposition from some powerful forces, but I think like a lot of issues we work on, this is coming sooner or later and let's do it sooner."

David Sutton, a spokesperson for Phillip Morris USA, said the bill unfairly focuses on tobacco. "We're being singled out as a class. It's a legal product," he said. Others said the bill would only force smokers to buy tobacco products from other retailers, like gas stations and convenience stores.

COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE:

Posted by stopthehate on 24 Apr 09 10:35 AM EDT

Yes, the bill would force smokers to buy their cigarettes elsewhere, other than where people go for health and healing products. Makes total sense! Stops sending the false message, especially to youth, that tobacco is safe. And does NY really need a tobacco retailer for every 144 smokers? Vodka is legal, do they sell that at the pharmacy? No! Smokers are not being singled out as a class, Big Tobacco had used its power to run rampant through our society with a lethal, addictive product. It's time for public health to outweigh greed.

Posted by Bill Godshall on 24 Apr 09 10:47 AM EDT

This legislation won't do anything to prevent or reduce smoking, but rather is feel good anti-tobacco extremism. Instead, the NY legislature should amend Gov. Paterson's recent proposal and increase tobacco retail license fees to $2,000/year (or even $1,000/year), which would result in 10%-20% of tobacco retail licensees not renewing their license. These low volume retailers are also more likely to sell cigarettes to youth. Ironically, Russ Sciandra's employer (American Cancer Society) is also urging Congress to enact FDA tobacco legislation (that Philip Morris negotiated and agreed to) that prohibits the FDA from banning tobacco sales in pharmacies, and also prohibits the FDA from banning tobacco sales to high school students (18).

Posted by Bill Godshall on 24 Apr 09 11:10 AM EDT

Pharmacies that sell tobacco can help encourage smokers to switch to far less hazardous smokefree tobacco/nicotine product alternatives by displaying and selling all cigarettes, smokeless tobacco products and NRT (gums, lozenges, skin patches) in the same location in stores. Also, the FDA should approve the NY State Health Commissioner's petition (filed last year) to allow the sale of NRT in $5-$10 daily dose unit packages (a pack of NRT now costs $40+), to allow all tobacco retailers to also sell NRT, and to improve warning labels on NRT (they currently mislead consumers to believe that NRT products are almost as harmful as cigarettes).

Posted by Anthony S on 01 May 09 02:37 PM EDT

I am a licensed pharmacist and am embarrassed to see pharmacies still selling cigarettes and other tobacco products. I am going to talk to my local mayor and city council to consider s similar ban in the small city I live in. In my little city, 4 out of the 5 pharmacies are chains and sell tobacco.

Posted by K. Dorsey on 21 Oct 09 04:59 PM EDT

It’s a slippery slope, folks. We're going back to the days of probation one step at a time and we see how well that works - for organized crime that is. But pharmacies sell items that are far more dangerous than tobacco. High fat, sugar dipped, salt encrusted foods line many shelves in pharmacies like CVS and Walgreen’s. These products kill as many if not more than tobacco and are available to anyone of any age without restriction. Are they next? Am I going to start having a hard time finding a pack of Oreo cookies next time I stop in a Walgreen’s? And why stop at pharmacies? New York is banning tobacco in far more than just pharmacies. We're setting a dangerous precedent and tobacco is just the foot in the door far more government meddling in our lives. There isn't a person in this country with an I.Q. above 80 who doesn't know cigarettes will eventually kill them. If they so choose to keep smoking that's on them.

New York Bans Smoking in Dorms

All New York Addiction Treatment Centers Go Smoke-Free

Teen Smoking Declines in Face of High Prices

Nevada Considers Weakening Smoking Ban

GoingSmokeFree.org: A Toolkit for Implementing Smoke-Free Laws

State Legislative Activity: Alcohol Taxes, Alcopops, and Alcohol Advertising