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Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Iceland Mulls Selling Cigarettes By Prescription Only

Icelanders hoping to light up may soon need a note from their doctor.


Siv Fridleifsdottir, the country's former health minister, has proposed a radical bill in parliament that would make cigarettes a prescription-only product, the U.K.'s Guardian reports. The bill would ban the sale of cigarettes in regular shops, allowing only pharmacies to dispense them. Initially sales would be limited to those 20 years and older, and later to smokers with a valid medical certificate.


If the measure passes, it would encourage smokers to try to quit, by working with doctors and addiction treatment and education programs. If those efforts fail, doctors would be able to prescribe cigarettes.


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