S.F. Ban on Tobacco Sales in Pharmacies Likely to Expand

San Francisco's Board of Supervisors tentatively approved a measure to expand a ban on tobacco sales in pharmacies to include grocery stores and big box stores that have pharmacies, the Associated Press reported Sept. 21.

“Cigarettes and pharmacies don't mix,” said Supervisor Eric Mar, who co-sponsored the expanded ban. “Pharmacies should promote healing and protect our health.” He noted the contradiction involved in selling smoking cessation kits or drugs to cancer patients while also offering cigarettes and smokeless tobacco for sale. 

The expanded ban would bring the city into line with the outcome of a recent lawsuit brought by Walgreen Co. over the original ordinance. In its suit, the company argued that it was unfair to exempt grocery stores and big box stores from the ban, and an appeals court agreed. 

If the proposal is given final approval by the Board of Supervisors and signed by the mayor, it will apply to stores like Safeway and Costco Wholesale Corp., which have pharmacies in them.

Safeway owns nine of the 14 stores that would be affected by the proposal. “For us it's kind of throwing the baby out with the bath water,” said Susan Houghton, a spokeswoman for the company. “We do obviously have healthy foods in our stores, and we do sell products that might be less healthy. For us it's about providing an array of products for our customers.”

A spokesman for Mayor Gavin Newsom said he would sign the bill.