ACS CAN > New York State > Stop Tobacco Sales in Pharmacies

Stop Tobacco Sales in Pharmacies
The public perception of pharmacies, reinforced by their marketing, is that they are associated with good health. Allowing tobacco sales in pharmacies, linking tobacco to health-promoting products, implicitly sends a message that it is not so bad to smoke. Moreover, patients visit pharmacies to purchase medications to treat diseases often worsened by tobacco.

The American Cancer Society believes that those in health care have a special obligation to lead by example in the fight to reduce tobacco use. Doctors and nurses should not smoke, hospitals and clinics should maintain smoke free environments, and pharmacies should not sell tobacco products. This measure will be another important step towards our goal of a smoke free society.

The Latest Update

Recently, Boston and San Francisco have implemented measures banning tobacco sales in any store that contains a pharmacy. The province of Ontario banned such sales in July 1993. In the year following implementation of the law, the number of operating pharmacies increased by 70, the same rate of increase experienced in the two years before the law took effect. Since then, several more Canadian provinces have followed suit.

A bill (A5890/S1234) has been introduced by Assembly Member Hoyt and Senator Thompson that bans tobacco sales by pharmacies and stores containing a pharmacy department.

Important Documents and Links:

Read the text of the bill here>>>

Read our memo in support of banning tobacco sales in drug stores here>>>