And if the customers choose to smoke and want to buy tobacco products in our environment, we provide that," said James Skinner, executive chairman of Walgreens Boots Alliance during a shareholder call earlier this year
In late 2014, Walgreens nemesis, CVS Health, decided to stop selling tobacco products at its stores (the change coincided with a name switch from CVS Caremark to CVS Health)
Walgreens President of Operations, Richard Ashworth, says, Weve seen positive results from other recent efforts to strengthen our policies related to tobacco sales, and believe this next step can be even more impactful to reduce its use among teens and young adults. Ashworth adds, Through ongoing training and certification for pharmacists and technicians, we also continue to help and support people looking to quit the use of tobacco in their lives. The new Tobacco 21 policy reinforces other recent steps the company has taken, including the implementation of a Card All policy chain-wide last October, which requires verification regardless of age on all tobacco sales in Walgreens stores
Approximately 400 Walgreens stores offer Healthcare Clinic or other provider retail clinic services.
Walmart, another retail chain targeted by the FDA, raised the buying age to 21 in July for all of its stores
