I was just listening to Energy 92.7 (San Francisco's dance radio station, or as me and my friends call it, "the beat of the gay") when Bevan Dufty called in to talk about the Board of Supervisor's decision today to ban cigarette sales in pharmacies. Dufty -- who voted against the measure -- noted that it made no sense, as megastores like Safeway and Costco can continue to sell cigarettes, but a few stores will be forbidden from doing so. Fellow Supervisor Sean Elsbernd called in later to echo Dufty's comments.

This move was supported by local LGBT orgs, it seems. I'm sitting here at the Three Dollar Bill Cafe, which is attached to the San Francisco LGBT Center. As I was buying my drink, I noticed a bizarre flyer (pictured at bottom) that I had seen before. I didn't connect it to this smoking ban effort, as I wasn't aware of the vote. But the flyer's from the California LGBT Tobacco Education Partnership. Blah.

Here's the Examiner on the ban:

Opponents questioned the fairness of the law and its effectiveness. Elsbernd said the bill is "more about making a statement than it is about doing something real." He said that people will just buy cigarettes elsewhere.

"I can't think of a single Walgreens that doesn't have a liquor store that sells cigarettes within at least one block," he said.

Dufty and Chu said the bill raises equity questions since other businesses equipped with pharmacies can continue to sell tobacco products.

[snip]

The Board of Supervisors may take another step toward stamping out smoking in San Francisco. A bill introduced by Supervisor Chris Daly that is up for a board committee vote next week would significantly expand nonsmoking areas citywide.

Sigh. San Francisco politics is bizarre! Here's a picture I took of that annoying flyer: