Westford Forum - Local Politics

Tobacco-ban plan should be extinguished

The Lowell Sun
Updated: 08/18/2010 07:02:48 AM EDT

The push by a handful of Massachusetts cities and towns to ban the sale of tobacco products at pharmacies within their borders is not only baffling, it fails to achieve the stated purpose.
So why is the effort continuing?
This week, the Westford Board of Health started grappling with the burning issue of whether to ban such products at pharmacies, but prudently decided to continue the hearing until at least October to gather more information.
The tobacco-control director for the Municipal Tobacco Control Technical Assistance Program told Westford officials there is no evidence that such a ban lowers tobacco use or makes it more difficult for children to obtain tobacco products.
We recognize that the use of tobacco products is harmful to people's health, but if someone can't buy a pack of cigarettes at their local CVS, Walgreens or Rite-Aid, won't they simply stop at a store that doesn't have a pharmacy? Implementing this ban won't hurt tobacco sales, but it will cause some financial harm to the three pharmacies in town.
If proponents are concerned that pharmacies, which sell prescriptions and over-the-counter medications, are also selling products that are unhealthy, shouldn't they make a move to ban Twinkies, potato chips and other junk food? After all, snack foods high in fat, salt and sugar are also harmful to our health. Or perhaps we should check the body-mass index of patrons before allowing them to make such purchases. Of course,
people with healthy BMIs may still have high blood pressure or diabetes, so maybe we should check their medical records, too, before allowing them to purchase a Hershey bar.
There is virtually no end to the lengths of absurdity to which this kind of thinking could extend. But such nonsense should be quickly halted.
Tobacco products are legal for sale in Massachusetts. It would be unfair for Westford, or any community, to prohibit one type of retail establishment from selling them. Such a move won't prevent anyone from buying cigarettes, it will only drive tobacco sales to other local businesses. The Westford Board of Health should reject this unfair tobacco-ban proposal.

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