# Is it weird to you that pharmacies sell cigarettes?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-to-you-that-pharmacies-sell-cigarettes/766304>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [September 18, 2016, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-to-you-that-pharmacies-sell-cigarettes/766304 "2016-09-18T21:35:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2016, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-to-you-that-pharmacies-sell-cigarettes/766304/61 "2016-09-22T18:51:36Z")

</div>

> [@SanVito](#):
>
> In Italian pharmacies, all the staff wear lab coats.

In France too (and they don’t sell cigarettes, alcohol, junk food or subway passes), and I’m completely accustomed to it, but now that you mention it, I’m wondering why. Long ago, pharmacists prepaded themselves a large part of the drugs they were selling so it probably made sense, but nowadays it’s very rare that a pharmacist prepares anything (and I even believe that when it happens, the preparation is usually made in some specialized lab, not at the pharmacy you walked in).

So, maybe I’m missing something, but I suppose it’s only done because it’s what people expect to see, and so that the pharmacist and his employees look like serious health care professionals rather than like some random unqualified sale assistant.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2016, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-to-you-that-pharmacies-sell-cigarettes/766304/62 "2016-09-22T20:42:58Z")

</div>

> [@Fear\_Itself](#):
>
> Junk food and alcohol won’t kill you when consumed in moderation. Cigarettes will.

Any of the above might or might not kill you in moderation. Jeanne Calment, the oldest person ever verified, smoked cigarettes for over 100 years.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2016, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-to-you-that-pharmacies-sell-cigarettes/766304/63 "2016-09-22T21:13:07Z")

</div>

I think it’s weird, but maybe because I live in Canada where they don’t sell cigarettes at the pharmacy.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-to-you-that-pharmacies-sell-cigarettes/766304.md?page=3)