US tobacco war
July 18, 2011
A US judge has upheld a ban put
in place by the city of San Francisco
against the sale of cigarettes in
Safeway supermarkets.
According to reports, the case
revolved around the San Francisco
Board of Supervisors’ ruling to ban
the sale of cigarettes in stores
which had a pharmacy - even if the
pharmacy was not the main
business.
The grocery giant contested the
ban, saying it hurt sales and was
unconstitutional.
However the judge dismissed
these claims saying: “The purpose
of the ... ordinance, to promote the
public health by preventing people
from becoming addicted to tobacco
and by helping those already
addicted to stop smoking, is
legitimate and even compelling”.
The City of San Francisco has
welcomed the ruling, with San
Francisco City Attorney Dennis
Herrera telling media that “those
who operate pharmacies have
chosen to participate in our health
care delivery system, and that
should not include the delivery of
cigarettes”.
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