San Francisco, Berkeley Missed Public Health Opportunity by Moving Tobacco Sales Out of Pharmacies

San Francisco, Berkeley Missed Public Health Opportunity by Moving Tobacco
Sales Out of Pharmacies
Pharmacy Pioneer Stuart Skorman Says Only Pharmacies Should Sell Tobacco, Help
Smokers Quit

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- San Francisco and Berkeley missed an
opportunity to help smokers quit when the cities moved all tobacco sales out
of pharmacies, according to a new Bay Area health initiative. Instead of
having smokers buy cigarettes in convenience stores and at other retailers,
smokers should buy cigarettes only at pharmacy counters, says Stuart Skorman,
founder of Elephant Pharmacy.

Launching HealthyPharmacies.org, Skorman is focused on making pharmacies
centers of health and wellness at the community level. "They can't just sell
medicines to people who are sick. They must educate consumers and give them
tools to lead healthier lives."

Keeping cigarettes behind the pharmacy counter would do just that, Skorman
says. When a smoker asks for a pack of cigarettes, pharmacy staff would have
the opening to offer nicotine replacement, such as the patch or gum, or point
smokers in the direction of counseling and other tools. The approach wouldn't
require a prescription for tobacco but would offer smokers tools to help them
quit.

In California alone, more than four million people smoke - more than the
entire population of Oregon. About 90 percent of smokers start before age 18
and become addicted to nicotine. That addiction makes it tough to quit: more
than 70 percent of smokers want to quit but don't know how to do it.

Pharmacies are the only stores that are licensed to sell dangerous drugs, and
Skorman says tobacco must be treated as such. He believes that tighter
controls would not only create access to quit-smoking support but could reduce
the powerful point-of-purchase advertising that appeals to youth in
convenience stores and other retail locations.

Calling this approach a public health and economic win, Skorman sees great
potential for pharmacies to play a powerful role at the community level.

"We're primarily focused on reducing tobacco use, but this approach would
bring more people into pharmacies, too. That's good for business, and it's
good for the consumers, if they're receiving positive guidance to live
healthier lives," he said.

HealthyPharmacies.org plans to pilot this concept by working with several
cities to limit tobacco sales to only pharmacy counters and then measure the
results - including changes in tobacco sales and smoking rates. Skorman is
reaching out to public health advocates and pharmacies to partner in this
effort and is exploring pilot projects in more than 50 US cities.

HealthyPharmacies.org is working to transform pharmacies from convenience
stores into neighborhood health centers. The project has roots in Berkeley's
Elephant Pharmacy - a groundbreaking neighborhood wellness center that also
was one of the nation's most profitable pharmacies. Elephant founder Stuart
Skorman started HealthyPharmacies.org to bring the health community and
pharmacies together in a way that focuses on improved public health, better
service to customers and sustainable business practices. For more information
visit http://www.HealthyPharmacies.org.

CONTACT:
Marsha Robertson, 415-968-9432, marsha@healthypharmacies.org
Elysha Rom-Povolo, 415-901-0111, erom-povolo@fenton.com

SOURCE HealthyPharmacies.org

Marsha Robertson of HealthyPharmacies.org, +1-415-968-9432,
marsha@healthypharmacies.org; or Elysha Rom-Povolo of Fenton Communications,
+1-415-901-0111, erom-povolo@fenton.com, for HealthyPharmacies.org