Could Cambridge ban cigarettes in pharmacies?

PUBLISHED by The Cambridge Chronicle

Cambridge —Could Cambridge follow Boston’s lead in banning cigarettes from pharmacies?

It might not need to largely because many independent pharmacies in Cambridge no longer sell tobacco products.


Inman Pharmacy at 1414 Cambridge St. voluntarily ended tobacco sales two years ago, said pharmacist Ken Amato. He said the business decided a pharmacy committed to improving the health of individuals should not sell a product so harmful.

“We finally realized the lack of sales from tobacco were made up more in our commitment to patients’ health,” Amato said.

Regular customers that bought cigarettes accepted the decision without any negative feedback, some even praising the move, Amato said. And Inman Pharmacy’s sales were not affected by the removal of tobacco products.

“I don’t know if I would like that you can’t sell a particular product. It’s really a decision for individual stores,” Amato said.

Skenderian Apothecary at 1613 Cambridge St. also does not sell cigarettes and hasn’t since 1959, co-owner Joe Skenderian said. He said the store’s tradition is focused on health rather than profits from products like tobacco and diet aids.

“You wouldn’t say to your doctor, ‘Would you prescribe cigarettes or a quart of booze?’” Skenderian said. “It doesn’t make sense for anyone as a professional to be doing that.”

The Cambridge Health Department has not yet considered enacting a ban on cigarette sales in pharmacies, but they will be watching for the effects of the ban in Boston, said Claude Jacob, chief public health officer for Cambridge.

Surveys measuring the use of tobacco in Cambridge middle and high schools have shown a downward trend in recent years, Jacob said. The city focuses on the tobacco use of minors rather than of the overall population.

CVS/Pharmacy has stopped its tobacco sales in Boston but will continue to sell cigarettes in its Cambridge locations, as long as there is no ban, said Mike DeAngelo, spokesperson for CVS. He said the pharmacy complies will all city regulations, but the only other city to ban cigarette sales in pharmacies is San Francisco, where CVS does not have locations.

“We are a health care provider. We don’t market tobacco products, and we keep them behind the counter,” DeAngelo said.

The regulation has not been in effect long enough for CVS to observe the results, DeAngelo said.

Cigar and smoke shops have also said they have not seen a difference in their customer base yet, including Leavitt & Peirce Tobacco in Harvard Square. However, more customers from Boston may be expected in the near future, said Tom Nolan, a sales clerk at the shop.

“There are fewer and fewer places to get tobacco around here,” Nolan said.