Activists protest condom policy at San Diego pharmacy
Two dozen activists Wednesday gathered outside a San Diego pharmacy to protest the store's alleged practice of keeping condoms under lock and key.
The decision by CVS pharmacy to lock away condoms discourages some customers from buying them and thus is a hindrance to the fight against HIV and other sexually-transmitted diseases, according to activists with the national group Change to Win.
The lockup policy seems aimed at stores in minority neighborhoods, the group said.
But a spokesman for the Rhode Island-based chain said condoms are kept in locked cases only when they have been "heavily shoplifted."
Even then, each store tries to keep a selection available to customers without asking, an assertion the activists deny.
--Tony Perry in San Diego
