Pharmacies selling medicine, cigarettes and booze

At least three pharmacy chains in Panama city are selling alcoholic beverages and cigarettes.

This was verified by a team of investigative journalists from La Prensa who visited city pharmacies, confirming that in addition to selling drugs and supplies for health care, they dispense liquor and cigarettes.

Both the head of the Minister of Health (MoH), Javier Diaz and the general secretary of the MoH, Félix Bonilla, confirmed that pharmacies cannot sell liquor.
According to Diaz, such establishments "are not dispensers of alcohol for consumption. So you have to fine them. "
The Health Minister said that this is a bad practice and promised that the MoH will also conduct inspections in the industry in which irregularities were observed.
Law No. 2 of February 5, 2013, which dictates rules on the process of starting a business and regulating businesses that sell alcoholic beverages, clearly states that the premises whose primary social reason is the wholesale, retail and distribution of medicines in general cannot sell alcoholic beverages.