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Cigarettes gone from pharmacy shelves in Boston

E-mail | Print | Comments () Posted by Gideon Gil February 9, 2009 01:11 PM

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By Stephen Smith, Globe Staff

A random sampling of pharmacies in Boston's South End and Back Bay neighborhoods this morning showed that the stores had all removed tobacco products as required under a city regulation that went into effect today.

At CVS shops on Tremont and Boylston streets, shelves that once carried cigarettes are now laden with boxes of Nicorette and other nicotine-replacement products designed to help smokers kick the habit. At Walgreens branches in the two neighborhoods, cigarette display cases remained in place -- but with no cigarettes inside.

Small red-and-white signs greeted shoppers entering CVS stores: "Effective February 9, 2009, the Boston Public Health Commission has banned the sale of tobacco products at pharmacies located in Boston. We apologize for any inconvenience resulting from our compliance with this regulation."

Boston health authorities in December significantly strengthened the city's antismoking rules, giving Boston some of the most stringent tobacco-control regulations in the nation. In addition to banning cigarette sales in pharmacies, the rules also prohibited tobacco products from being sold in convenience stores on college campuses.

The city also eliminated the sale of blunt wrappers -- tobacco-based rolling papers -- anywhere in the city. Blunt-wrap makers have sued the city, contending that they are unconstitutionally being singled out for elimination while cigarettes can still be sold at neighborhood markets and other outlets.

City inspectors began visiting pharmacies this morning and, so far, have found no evidence of cigarettes being sold.

"Much to everybody's surprise, those products were gone," said Ann Scales, spokeswoman for the Boston Public Health Commission. "In fact, they were saying a lot of the stores had made the changes Saturday or Sunday. It just seems so seamless."

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About white coat notes

White Coat Notes covers the latest from the health care industry, hospitals, doctors offices, labs, insurers, and the corridors of government. Chelsea Conaboy previously covered health care for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Write her at cconaboy@boston.com. Follow her on Twitter: @cconaboy.

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