Walgreens stores stop sale of cigarettes in Gainesville, Florida

Laura Kelly
August 2, 2018
The Washington Times
Walgreens stores in Gainesville, Florida, have stopped selling cigarettes in a pilot program to decide if the pharmacy giant will ban sales of tobacco in other stores, according to the Gainesville Sun.
“We’re continually testing various programs, services and product offerings to meet the needs of our customers and communities and strategic partners, and to deliver the best customer experience,” Walgreens corporate spokesman Scott Goldberg wrote in an email to the Sun. “The removal of tobacco products in our Gainesville area stores is another example of that.”
Walgreens currently sells tobacco products in its stores, which anti-smoking activists say is an antithesis to their mission of providing health and wellness.
In 2014, CVS Pharmacy became the first pharmaceutical-retail giant to stop selling tobacco products in its stores.
In the year following the decision, cigarette purchases dropped by as much as 95 million packs in states where CVS had a 15 percent share of the pharmacy market, The Washington Times earlier reported.
Further, smoking-cessation purchases increased by 4 percent.