Pharmacy chain Walgreens will begin selling vapes in about 6,000 locations soon, according to the Bloomberg news site. The publication cited Walgreens employees who spoke anonymously and a Juul Labs spokesperson who confirmed that FDA-authorized Juul products will be sold by the drug store chain.
The decision is important, because it provides vape access to millions of Americans who vape or would like to—although the Walgreens product selection is likely to be limited to a few FDA-authorized vapes. Some Walgreens locations—including all New York state stores—cannot sell vapes, due to state or local laws prohibiting sales in pharmacies.
Walgreens was recently purchased by private equity company Sycamore Partners, according to Bloomberg, which may have contributed to the decision to put vapes back on the shelves. The privately run Walgreens is focused on increasing revenue in its retail locations.
Walgreens operates over 8,000 retail pharmacies, slightly fewer than major competitor CVS. After removing all tobacco and consumer nicotine products from its shelves in 2014, CVS became a major contributor to tobacco control organizations, which in turn pressured Walgreens and other pharmacies to also end sales of nicotine products.
Walgreens stopped selling vaping products in 2019, when teenage use reached its peak and pressure from tobacco control and public health groups forced a decision. Walmart and grocery chain Kroger also ended vape sales in 2019.
A Kroger spokesperson told Bloomberg the company resumed selling vaping products in 2023, after the FDA began authorizing some products for sale and youth vaping sharply declined. Walmart and CVS have not reversed their no-vape policies.
Because of declining cigarette sales, state governments in the U.S. and countries around the world are looking to vapor products as a new source of tax revenue.
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