Boston Bans Drugstore Cigarette Sales

Also outlawed at college campus convenience shops
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 5, 2008 6:26 AM CDT
Boston Bans Drugstore Cigarette Sales
Cigarette packages on a store counter.   (AP Photo/George Widman, file)

Boston's health honchos have approved some of the country's toughest anti-tobacco rules by banning sales at some stores, the Boston Globe reports. The new rules forbid pharmacies and campus convenience stores from selling cigarettes. They also ban smoking on bar and restaurant patios. The city's cigar parlors, previously exempt, will also have to stub out after a 5-year grace period expires.

Officials say the rules will boost the health of Bostonians and that selling tobacco is incompatible with the mission of a drugstore. Drugstore chains and tobacco companies are strongly opposed to the ban, and even some tobacco-control experts believe the law may be over-reaching, saying that banning sales at certain outlets will be unlikely to dissuade determined smokers.
(More cigarette stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X