Why is B.C. the last province in Canada to allow cigarette sales in drugstores? – CBC

B.C. has been the outlier since Manitoba banned tobacco sales in pharmacies 13 years ago

May 31, 2026

Should you still be able to buy cigarettes in British Columbia drugstores?

It’s a question that prompted a testy exchange in the B.C. Legislature earlier this week.

“Cigarette smoke has over 70 known carcinogens in it,” anti-smoking advocate Leo Levasseur told CBC’s On the Island on Wednesday. “Is this something that should be sold in a drugstore?”

Ontario banned tobacco sales in pharmacies in 1994, and the other provinces and territories have since followed suit. When Manitoba implemented a ban in 2013, B.C. became the last province in Canada to allow the practice.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-cigarettes-drugstores-pharmacies-9.7214176