Pharmci V Virginia

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VIRGINIA STATE BOARD OF PHARMACY v. VIRGINIA CITIZENS CONSUMER COUNCIL, INC. 425 U.S. 748, 96 S.Ct. 1817, 48 L.Ed.2d 346. Facts: The Virginia Citizens Consumer Council, Inc. (VCCCI), take on the Virginia statute that prohibits the publishing and advertising of prescription drug prices by a pharmacist. VCCCI. claims that this statute violates the First Amendment right to free speech for pharmacists and therefore the statute is unconstitutional. The District Court agreed, affirming that the enforcement of the statute should be stopped and the Virginia State Board of Pharmacy appealed. Issue: Whether there is First Amendment exclusion for commercial speech, when the discourse does no more than recommend a commercial transaction? Decision: Commercial speech is protected speech under the First Amendment. Conversely, some types of commercial speech may be regulated. If speech is validated without mention to the subject of the regulated speech, that speech serves a government interest, and that they leave open copious substitutes for communication of the information.…show more content…
The language and propositions will direct consumers to purchase or utilize products. If the product does not perform as advertised, then the government has a legitimate interest in protecting the monetary welfare and safety of the public. With permitting the advertisement of prices from pharmacies, lower quality and potentially unsafe drugs from unethical pharmacists may have reduced prices and become a detriment to the consumer. Commercial speech is a form of protected speech that can be regulated to protect the public from deceptive or misleading information. The First Amendment protects the right of the consumers to receive such information, as well as the right of the pharmacists to

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