Bill would ban tobacco sales in pharmacies

Pharmacies sell aids to quit smoking, but does it make sense that they sell the cigarettes, too? Some politicians think not. Tim Nichols, a Latham Democrat, will introduce legislation Monday in the Albany County Legislature that would ban tobacco sales in pharmacies. There is already state legislation proposing a similar ban.

"A pharmacy is a place where people go to get well," Nichols said. "I just don't think tobacco products have a place in a pharmacy." In Massachusetts, 25 communities have prohibited tobacco sales in pharmacies including Boston, Worcester and Lowell.

Fallon Wellness Pharmacy in Latham has never sold tobacco.

"We are supposed to be promoting health and it's totally opposite to what we believe," said pharmacist Peter Fallon, whose father started the business in the 1950s. "I would call it unethical for any pharmacy that does." None of the independent pharmacies in the Capital Region sell tobacco, but drugstore chains, department stores and grocery stores with pharmacies do.

"Rite Aid, like many drugstores, sells a range of consumer products that our customers have requested and that they may choose to purchase," said a spokesman for Rite Aid. CVS did not respond to a request for comment.

Four years ago, Wegmans Food Markets voluntarily stopped selling tobacco and around the same time, Price Chopper put tobacco products behind opaque doors.

"That was to mute the colors, the brand names and the logos, all of which have been found to entice kids to smoke," said Price Chopper spokeswoman Mona Golub, who noted that the supermarket was the first in the state to hide tobacco products.

While Price Chopper does not want to promote the next generation of smokers, Golub said the company will continue to serve current smokers.

"The choice to purchase or quit belongs to the individual, and as long as it's legal to purchase the product, we think that people have the right to do so," Golub said.

Two Price Choppers stores in Worcester stopped selling tobacco because of a city ordinance that banned it.