Governor’s mansion switches grocers

OLYMPIA – A local grocer whose owner adopted a policy of not stocking a “morning after” contraceptive at one of its stores lost its account with the governor’s mansion this summer, shortly after Gov. Chris Gregoire got involved in the dispute over the prescription policy.

The mansion’s cooking staff canceled its credit account with Bayview Thriftway around the time Gregoire stepped into the dispute over whether pharmacists have a right of conscience in refusing to dispense lawfully prescribed medications.

At issue was the policy that Ralph’s Thriftway – like Bayview, co-owned by Kevin Stormans – had of not selling Plan B, a pill that is a heavier dose of a drug used in many regular birth-control pills. Its manufacturer recently secured federal approval for over-the-counter sales.

Plan B is not an abortion pill. If a woman is pregnant, the pill will have no effect.

Stormans said his staff was told the Plan B fallout was the reason the account was canceled at Bayview, which does not have a pharmacy.

But Gregoire spokeswoman Holly Armstrong said that was only one of the reasons.

She said lower costs and greater convenience played into the decision to switch to Top Foods.

The cancellation came near the beginning of a boycott of Bayview and Ralph’s Thriftway stores that was started in July by local advocates of reproductive rights.

Stormans would not say how much money has been lost, but acknowledged the boycott has cut into sales at both businesses.

The state Pharmacy Board is currently redrawing state rules that govern pharmacists’ conduct to ensure that customers receive prescriptions while allowing some limited exercise of conscience by pharmacists who do not want to provide certain medications. Gregoire has said that patients must not be denied a lawfully prescribed medication.