Hollister council members Monday are set to consider snuffing out tobacco use in local pharmacies.
Council members at their 6:30 p.m. Monday meeting at Hollister City Hall, 375 Fifth St., are scheduled to consider a hearing and ordinance on the proposed tobacco ban for pharmacies.
Hollister council members in February expressed unanimous support for an idea to ban tobacco-related sales in local pharmacies. The move, if made official through an ordinance, would make Hollister the first city in the Central Coast region to implement such a ban.
In February, the council heard from Dr. Anju Goel, the county’s public health officer, and other advocates for policies banning tobacco-related sales in pharmacies.
The health officer said a half-million people die every year from tobacco-related illness and that tobacco-related issues cost California about $18 billion annually. She said selling tobacco products contradicts pharmacies’ mission. Anti-tobacco groups from other counties showed up to speak, as did local students, some who came with signs.
Goel at the time said there were seven pharmacies in Hollister and three of them have independently decided not to sell tobacco products. She and Mayor Ignacio Velazquez earlier this year honored Nob Hill in Hollister for its decision to pull tobacco products from shelves starting in February.
Council members heard a report and testimony, but it was not an official action item in February. They directed the city attorney to start drafting language for the ordinance before them Monday.
