Walgreen: San Francisco’s Tobacco Ban Is Unfair..

September 10, 2008 - Walgreens Co. - California is trying to stop San Francisco from banning the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products at pharmacies in the city.

A city ordinance banning sales of tobacco products at pharmacies is set to take place October 1, 2008.

The drug store chain (52 Walgreens pharmacies in San Francisco) alleges the new law is anticompetitive and unconstitutional, because it doesn't ban tobacco sales at grocery stores and wholesale clubs that also have pharmacies. The California Supreme Court set a September 30, 2008 hearing date for preliminary injunction.

Reference: Walgreen fights tobacco sale ban in pharmacies: report, Reuters, 9/10/2008; Walgreen: San Francisco’s Tobacco Ban Is Unfair Posted by Jacob Goldstein, The Wall Street Journal Health Blog, 9/10/2008 and "Walgreen Fights Tobacco Sales Ban Retailer Asks Court To Block Ordinance In San Francisco" by Ann Zimmerman, B8, The Wall Street Journal, 9/10/2008.

Boston pharmacies may be next.

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