B.C. revisits drug store tobacco policy

VICTORIA, British Columbia, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Officials in British Columbia, Canada, planned to meet Tuesday about the affect of selling cigarettes in pharmacies in the province.

British Columbia is one of three provinces in Canada allowing cigarettes and other tobacco products to be sold in pharmacies, the Vancouver Sun reported Monday.

Anti-tobacco advocates argue that the continuation of the sales could send mixed messages to youths who go to drugstores for health products and counseling.

British Columbia Health Minister George Abbott and the British Columbia and Yukon branch of the Canadian Cancer Society will attend Tuesday's meeting in an attempt to solve the issue.

Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, prohibit tobacco sales in pharmacies and Alberta passed a law that will make the sale of tobacco illegal in pharmacies starting Jan. 1, 2009.