Tobacco already banned at many Mass. pharmacies

BOSTON (AP) - The decision by CVS Caremark to stop selling tobacco products at its drugstores nationwide won’t change things at many of its outlets in Massachusetts.

That’s because Boston, Worcester and dozens of other communities in the Bay State already have prohibitions on the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products at pharmacies.

Boston was one of the first major U.S. cities to impose such a ban in 2009.

According to the Massachusetts Municipal Association, Worcester and more than 50 other communities have since imposed bans, covering nearly 40 percent of the state’s population. There are more than 120 CVS pharmacies within those communities.

Massachusetts Medical Society President Ronald Dunlap said in a statement Wednesday that the national announcement by CVS marks a “milestone in tobacco prevention efforts.”