SAN FRANCISCO " Walgreens Co. is trying to stop San Francisco from banning the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products at pharmacies in the city.
Attorneys for the drugstore chain are requesting an emergency injunction to block the ban, which goes into effect Oct. 1. They are expected to seek a hearing in San Francisco Superior Court today.
Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreens says the ban is unfair because it does not apply to grocery stores or big-box stores that have pharmacies.
Company spokeswoman Tiffani Bruce says smokers will just buy their cigarettes elsewhere.
San Francisco passed the ban in July, saying sick people shouldn't be faced with cancer-causing products when they are getting their prescriptions filled.