May 10
I’ve been in Calgary about a year and a few months now, and just today I noticed that Shoppers Drug Mart (and other Calgary pharmacies) sell cigarettes. In Ontario they haven’t been able to sell them for years…the theory being that a place that’s main purpose is health care, and helping people get better shouldn’t be in the business of selling a product that mostly makes people sick or kills them. What’s your feeling on this? We talked about it and got the alberta rules from a listener:
Loading ...
May 10th, 2008 at 2:44 am
Funny, one of the first things I noticed when I moved out here in August was that smokes were sold at the drug store. It always seemed logical to me that as health care providers (and yes, that includes pharmacies) we shouldn’t really be promoting a habit that is so evidently bad for you. It seems hypocritical to sell smoking cessation aids in one aisle then when the poor bastard comes to pay for them have him stare at a wall of smokes, no? I actually once watched a man buy cough medication AND cigarettes in the same purchase! I’m not a dictator by any means, and I think when you’re ready to quit you should, but heck, lets keep the cigarettes out of the pharmacy. And yes, I know this is the age of the highest average sale, but I don’t think the drugstores are in need of the revenue. No one closed shop for lost tobacco sales in Ontario (and I hail from the Southwest, where tobacco is a major crop).
I’ll have to listen to that audio when I’m on a system with speakers, I’m interested to know the arguments, but I’m glad you brought this up….
May 10th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
I used to live in Kelowna and London Drugs has sold smokes for years and still does. I now live in Calgary and am a smoker who was able to quit for 3 years but started back when life took and downturn and now having hard time quitting again. I totally agree that places selling medicines and general living products should not be selling cigarettes at all. That is totally the opposite of what they advertise as a food and drug store (well at least the got the drug part right)
May 11th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
I agree smokes shouldn’t be sold in Pharmacies, I mean if that’s ok then why not hospotal gift shops? Jr. High school Cafeterias…oh i know! replace happy meal toys with a pack of players…
May 12th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Ok, seriously? No matter where people sell smokes, smokers are going to buy them. Drug Stores also sell Aspertame, Amonia and other things that *can* kill. (by the way, every thing kills….)
It’s every person’s choice to smoke or not to. Alcohol is more dangerous. Let the smokers be, for real. It’s just a cigarette. Smokers don’t tell other people how to live (on a whole…).
And JT, yeah, a Drug Store - Where you have to show ID to buy a pack of smokes - is the same as a Happy Meal or a Jr. High School Caf. Come on. That kind of logic just makes me (a smoker) laugh at you.
And yeah, I will continue to smoke, cause it’s my choice. And I will be thankful for the Drug Stores that sell smokes, so I don’t have to cross the street to go to the Mac’s.
May 12th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Oh, and another thing… Is it not hypocritical to sell weight loss pills right next to Oh Henry’s? Give people the benefit of the doubt. Many people have quit smoking when you were still allowed to smoke in stores and planes.. I don’t think looking at smokes while buying Nicorette is really going to deter people from their goal of being smoke free.
May 13th, 2008 at 3:59 am
Yes, actually, it is hypocritical to sell diet aids next to boatloads of crappy food…but then we are getting into another argument. Health care providers should provide health care, and thats it. Not judgements, not particular brands because they give more perks to the pharmacist than others, just standard remedy and good advice. My feeling is that drug stores should be drugs stores and in the constant struggle to grab every bloody sale available out of their customers they have become glorified convenience stores. I’m not saying you shouldn’t be able to buy your smokes…buy ‘em, smoke ‘em and maybe i’ll see you in a few years on my ward. Or maybe not. Just buy them in the convenience store, not in a place where your bag stuffer is likely to be a pamphlet on COPD and a coupon for free samples of Midol.
I’m just sayin’.
May 16th, 2008 at 8:48 am
Veronica let me introduce you to a good friend of mine “Sarcasm meet Veronica, Veronica meet Sarcasm” I don’t think the two of you have ever met… now I have to go cry, because a smoker laughed at me.
May 16th, 2008 at 9:28 am
And another thing, crossing the street might constitute as some sort of fitness, I totally feel for ya…i’m a firm advocate for natural selection, please, continue to smoke, only then will we really see the definition of hypocritical.