Annual Burden of Tobacco in Massachusetts
- 7,200 kids (under 18) become new daily smokers every year
- 9,000 adults die each year from smoking (another 880 die from
exposure to secondhand smoke)
- $3.53 billion in direct health care costs in Massachusetts
caused by smoking
- $194.6 million spent by the tobacco industry on marketing in
Massachusetts
Current Efforts in Massachusetts
- For several years, the American Lung Association of New England
and our Medical and Scientific Branch have requested chain
pharmacies to voluntarily ban tobacco sales from their
establishments (which they have refused), led efforts to pass local
ordinances in cities and towns, and advocated to pass a statewide
law making pharmacies tobacco-free.
- In 2008, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to adopt a
tobacco-free pharmacy law.
- In Massachusetts, Boston, Everett, Fall River, Lancaster,
Needham, Newton, Oxford, Southboro and Walpole have all banned
tobacco from being sold in independent pharmacies and stores
containing pharmacies.
- Senator Susan Fargo and Representative Sean Garballey have both
filed state legislation to prohibit the sale of all tobacco
products in facilities where health care professionals are employed
throughout Massachusetts. The bill numbers are S1094 and H
591 and titled An Act Restricting the Sale of Tobacco Products at
Locations where Health Professionals are Employed.
Why Cigarettes and Pharmacies Don't Mix
- Community pharmacists are one of the most trusted health care
professionals and are an important part of the health care team. As
part of our health care delivery system, pharmacies, like hospitals
and clinics, should be prohibited from selling tobacco
products.
- It is a conflict of interest for pharmacies, providers of
health care, to profit from the sale of harmful products known to
cause cancer, heart and pulmonary diseases.
- Selling tobacco in pharmacies also contradicts the "Pharmacist
Code of Ethics," a code which clearly states that pharmacists must
promote the good of every patient. Physicians, who write
prescriptions, also have the same obligations to their patients'
safety.
- The tobacco industry has actively recruited businesses that
house pharmacies to sell tobacco products, oppose tobacco control
legislation, and emphasize profit motives over health.
Addressing Concerns
- Will banning tobacco sales in pharmacies actually reduce
smoking rates or tobacco use?
- Our goal in removing tobacco products from pharmacies is to
denormalize these products and send a clear message that health
care facilities do not promote tobacco use.
- Smokers trying to quit can go into a pharmacy knowing they will
not have to see tobacco products sold next to cessation treatments
designed to help their efforts to quit.
Will a ban on tobacco sales hurt pharmacies economically?
- As a percentage of total sales in pharmacies, the sale of
tobacco products is not a vital revenue stream. Tobacco
product sales by pharmacies and drug stores have low margins and
typically make up less than 1 percent of their total sales .
- Of the independently-owned pharmacies that are tobacco-free,
88% report they have experienced either no loss or an increase in
business since removing tobacco from their shelves .
Is banning tobacco sales in pharmacies a "slippery slope" (i.e.
if you can ban tobacco, what is stopping you from banning fatty
foods?)?
- The difference between tobacco products and alcohol or food
with high fat and sugar content is that there is no safe level of
tobacco use. Food and alcohol, consumed in moderation, does
not pose a health risk.
Are legislative bans of tobacco sales discriminatory and an
excessive intrusion of government?
- Individual states have rules governing the sale of tobacco
including disallowance of tobacco vending machines and in the form
of single cigarettes, and prohibition of sales to individuals
younger than 18 years.
(courtesy of the American Lung Association of New
England)
