Cigarette Sales Banned at NYC Pharmacies

January 03, 2019
NACS
About 500 pharmacies can no longer sell tobacco products as of New Year’s Day.
NEW YORK CITY – New York consumers won’t be able to buy cigarettes along with their prescriptions in 2019. As of New Year’s Day, pharmacies and businesses that contain pharmacies, including supermarkets and big-box stores, are prohibited from selling tobacco products in New York City, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The change impacts about 500 pharmacies currently selling tobacco products and reduces the total number of retailers licensed to sell tobacco by about 6.4%. This rule follows a ban on electronic cigarette sales at pharmacies, which went into effect in August.
New York Health Department officials say that stopping pharmacy sales is important in the city’s plan to reduce the number of smokers in New York by 160,000 within three years. Health officials estimate that there are more than 860,000 smokers in the city.
Pharmacy owners acknowledge that smoking is unhealthy but argue that the government shouldn’t ban certain stores from selling tobacco products that can be purchased from other retailers.
Over the past few years, New York City has been rolling out new regulations aimed at driving down smoking rates. The ban on pharmacy sales is part of a broader effort to reduce the number of places where smokers can buy tobacco products.
As of December, there are 7,874 active retail dealer licenses for tobacco and 2,935 for e-cigarettes in New York City. It is a misdemeanor to sell cigarettes without a retail dealer license, and violations are punishable by $2,000 in civil fines, plus $100 for each day of unlicensed sales, according to the Department of Consumer Affairs.