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New York City pharmacies banned from selling cigarettes

1/2/2019
New York City pharmacies are prohibited from selling cigarettes and other tobacco products, thanks to a bill which went into effect on Jan. 1.

The bill, which was signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2017, also prohibits pharmacies from selling e-cigarettes and was part of a package of anti-smoking bills that also raised the minimum price of cigarettes to $13 a pack.

“People trust pharmacies to help them stay well — they should be helping smokers quit, not the opposite,” Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Herminia Palacio said in a statement.

Many pharmacies have voluntarily stopped selling tobacco products, including CVS Health, which discontinued selling cigarettes in 2014.

About 500 pharmacies still sell tobacco products, according to the city.
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