Boston Bans Drugstore Cigarette Sales

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.
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