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Ortega’s bill would bar tobacco sales at outlets that include pharmacies; supporters cite health duty, critics warn of pharmacy closures
Summary
Assemblymember Ortega proposed AB 957 to prohibit the sale of tobacco products in any retail location that includes a licensed pharmacy, arguing pharmacies should promote health rather than sell a product that causes disease.
Assemblymember Ortega presented AB 957 as a focused public‑health step to remove tobacco products from licensed pharmacies statewide. Ortega said pharmacies are health‑care settings where patients seek medications and preventative services, and she argued tobacco sales are inconsistent with that role.
Health professionals and organizations provided the principal testimony in support. Dr. Lisa Croon, a UCSF clinical pharmacy professor and co‑director of UCSF’s Fontana Tobacco Treatment Center, described pharmacies as an access point for smoking cessation and said pharmacists overwhelmingly oppose selling tobacco. Dr. Mani Pulio and representatives from the American Lung Association, American Heart Association, county health executives, county boards of supervisors and several medical associations testified in support.
Committee members acknowledged the health rationale but asked about the practical effect on pharmacy access. Chair and other senators noted evidence that bans on tobacco sales in some jurisdictions have correlated with pharmacy closures in disadvantaged communities. Senators and the committee asked whether grocery stores that include a pharmacy would be required to stop selling tobacco statewide and whether the bill could reduce pharmacy presence in rural or low‑income neighborhoods.
Ortega and supporters said the bill covers retail locations that are licensed to operate a pharmacy; such stores would no longer be able to sell tobacco. Supporters argued national chains are already moving away from tobacco and that incremental removal from pharmacies advances public health. Opponents included Senator Choi (who said he supports individual choice and the open market) and Senator Strickland, who raised concerns about fairness comparisons with other public‑policy debates. Some members asked the author to consider additional language to protect small businesses and rural access.
The committee took a motion to pass AB 957 and recorded a roll call; the chair left the item on call for additional members to be recorded. At the close of the committee’s hearing day the bill was recorded with a plurality in favor but was left on call pending additional votes and possible amendments.
