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Objectives: California and Massachusetts are the only 2 states in the United States with municipalities that have local laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco products by pharmacies. The impacts of the tobacco-free pharmacy laws remain understudied. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the association between tobacco-free pharmacy laws and smoking prevalence among adults over time in California and Massachusetts.Design: This study used a series of cross-sectional surveys. The data source for this study was the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey for each year from 2005 to 2013.Setting: The longitudinal changes in smoking prevalence at the city or county level were estimated and comparisons were made between cities or counties with tobacco-free pharmacy laws and those without the laws.Participants: The participants used to estimate smoking prevalence were representative of adults within California and Massachusetts.Intervention: The implementation of tobacco-free pharmacy laws was considered to be the intervention in this study.Main Outcome Measures: The outcome measures were smoking prevalence among adults. Mixed-effects negative binomial models were performed primarily to examine longitudinal changes in outcome measures.Results: The prevalence of smoking decreased in both states over time. In Massachusetts, there was a statistically significant decrease in smoking prevalence among cities with tobacco-free pharmacy laws compared with those without such laws. Despite the presence of an 8.6% decrease in prevalence after the implementation of tobacco-free pharmacy laws, this reduction was not statistically significant after controlling for the negative trend in smoking rates overall and other factors.Conclusion: This study evaluated tobacco-free pharmacy laws with regard to the real-world impacts. Our findings highlight the need for future research on the effects of tobacco-free pharmacy laws with a prolonged time span and a comprehensive understanding of the law's implementation and enforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To examine the impact of local laws prohibiting tobacco sales in pharmacies in California and Massachusetts, the only 2 US states in which such municipal laws exist. Methods. We analyzed longitudinally the tobacco retailer density at the city level from tobacco retailer license data in California (2005-2013) and Massachusetts (2004-2014). Results. After adjustments, the reduction in tobacco retailer density over time was 1.44 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.37,1.51) to 3.18 (95% CI = 1.11,5.25) times greater in cities with a tobacco-free pharmacy law than in cities without such a law. Conclusions. Tobacco-free pharmacy laws are associated with a greater reduction in tobacco retailer density over time in California and Massachusetts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]