Walgreens fights San Francisco's cigarette ban in pharmacies

Government's hate on cigarettes is strongest in San Francisco. The city becomes the first in the nation to ban tobacco sales in drugstores. San Francisco's mayor Gavin Newsom is against tobacco products being sold alongside products that are meant to help improve the health of his constituents.

Walgreens is against this proposed ban, and it has the First District Court of Appeals on its side. According to the court, the ban is unconstitutional because it does not include supermarkets and large retail stores that have a pharmacy on site. Walgreens says it is unfair to just target pharmacies, which will lead to unhappy consumers who will go elsewhere for their cigarettes. Losing business is its main concern, however, its lobbying brews talk of extending the ban.

To satisfy the court, San Francisco's mayor can make the ban constitutional by including any store, large or small, that hosts a pharmacy. This will leave many retailers in San Francisco, their 60 plus pharmacies, and Walgreen branches at serious hurt.