New York Considers Statewide Cigarette Sales Ban for Pharmacies

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.