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N.D. (NewsDakota.com) When North Dakota voters head to the polls next week, they’ll decide on whether or not to keep a 50-year-old law on the books concerning the local ownership of pharmacies. If passed, Measure 7 would open the door for major retail chains by removing the requirement that majority ownership of pharmacies in the state be held by registered pharmacists. Amanda Godfread with North Dakotans for Lower Pharmacy Prices says voting “yes” will mean more options and prescription savings for consumers.  

But those opposed to Measure 7 say if passed, it will lead to the closing of at least 70 small-town and independent pharmacies, leaving those communities and their residents with fewer choices. And Mike Schwab with the North Dakota Pharmacists Association notes that prescription prices in the state are already lower than the national average.

North Dakota is the only state with such a pharmacy ownership law and it has been upheld by the U-S Supreme Court.