A grocery chain and a pharmacy company say they're looking at pulling cigarettes from their shelves in light of a new law to crack down on tobacco sales.

Proposed anti-tobacco legislation received first reading in the Saskatchewan legislature on Wednesday.

The law, which has yet to be passed but could take effect as early as next year, would make it illegal to smoke in a car if there are children present.

It would also put new restrictions on tobacco sales. If pharmacies and stores that have pharmacies inside — such as supermarkets — want to continue selling tobacco, they are going to have to build separate areas or kiosks, to which minors will not have access.

In response, some stores were saying Wednesday they would rather just stop selling tobacco altogether.

John Graham, Canada Safeway's public affairs manager, said when similar legislation was introduced years ago in Ontario, Safeway decided to spend the money to revamp only two stores. In the rest, they pulled tobacco altogether, he said.

"Kiosks, though we wouldn't rule them out, aren't most likely the path we would choose to take," Graham said.

Clint Mahlman, the senior vice-president of London Drugs, said his company won't be building kiosks either.

He said the law won't help people quit smoking: people who can't get cigarettes at a drug store will get them elsewhere.

On the other hand, a drug store is an appropriate place to sell tobacco, because it's where people can buy anti-smoking aids and receive advice from staff about them, Mahlman said.

"Targeting tobacco customers when they're purchasing tobacco is the most effective way to get our smoking cessation methods across to the tobacco user," he said.

When a tobacco ban was implemented in Alberta earlier this year, London Drugs saw the sale of stop-smoking aids drop dramatically, he said.

Health Minister Don McMorris said Wednesday that many drug stores in Saskatchewan have already stopped selling cigarettes.

The proposed law would also ban smoking on school grounds.

Saskatchewan law currently prohibits smoking in workplaces and many public enclosed areas, including bars, restaurants and curling rinks.