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Tobacco Ban At Drugstores, Colleges Starts Monday

New health rules go into effect in Boston Monday that prohibit the sale of tobacco products at pharmacies and drug stores, and on college and university campuses.

City officials say the ban on tobacco sales is meant to keep a harmful substance away from young people and to protect workers from secondhand smoke.

Barbara Ferrer of the Boston Public Health Commission says counseling and nicotine patches will be available to people who want to quit smoking.

"This isn't really an anti-smoker campaign," Ferrer says. "This is: Let's not sell a dangerous product, and if you're using that product let's help you break an addictive habit."

Ferrer says city officials will be inspecting educational and healthcare institutions in the next few weeks to make sure they've removed tobacco from their shelves.

This program aired on February 9, 2009. The audio for this program is not available.

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