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Albany Legislature bans sale of tobacco, nicotine at pharmacies

May 15, 2018 6:45 am

Amanda Fries and Bethany Bump are reporting for the Times Union the Albany County Legislature May 14, approved a ban on selling tobacco and nicotine-based products in pharmacies or stores containing pharmacies. The measure passed on a vote of 26 to 11. Supporters of the law say the sale of these proven addictive, toxic and deadly products in places that purport to improve health and wellness does not make sense. County Executive Daniel McCoy must sign the law before it is filed with the state, and will take effect three months after that filing. Approximately 33 retailers in the county will be affected, including Rite Aid, Price Chopper, Hannaford, ShopRite, Walgreens and Walmart. A similar ban was approved by the Legislature in 2014, but McCoy vetoed the measure because it lacked an enforcement mechanism. Under the newly approved ban, the county health commissioner is empowered to impose a civil penalty of up to $500 a day for any facility found in violation of the law. Albany is the third municipality in the state to impose such a ban. Read the full story in the Times Union.