San Francisco's landmark ban on plastic bags has went into full effect today, after plastic bags were banned from pharmacies.  The law, enacted in March of 2007, banned the use of plastic bags first at grocery stores, then at pharmacies.  Marisa Lagos writes in the SF Chronicle:

No official figures are available to quantify the difference since the bag ban at major grocery stores took effect on Dec. 1, but Department of the Environment spokesman Mark Westlund estimated that the ban at grocery stores alone will take about 150 million plastic bags out of circulation annually. The program has been so successful at Whole Foods, he said, that the retailer is now phasing out plastic bags throughout its entire chain.

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CAW and Plastic Bags:

• Learn about AB 2058 (Levine), which will allow local governments to require stores to charge fees on plastic bags in order to reduce their distribution.