Amid FDA Crackdown, Walgreens Will Raise Age To 21 For Tobacco Purchases

Walgreens Boots Alliance said it will require tobacco purchasers to be at least 21 years old effective Sept. 1 of this year in a move to prevent young people from purchasing cigarettes and related tobacco products.

The move comes amid a crackdown this year by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Walgreens and other retailers for selling tobacco products to young people. Walgreens will still tobacco products, maintaining its contrast to rival CVS Health, which made a landmark 2014 decision to stop selling tobacco products in all of its stores. 

“We’ve 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,” Walgreens president of operations Richard Ashworth said Tuesday morning in a statement announcing the retail pharmacy chain's new "Tobacco 21" policy. “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.”

Walgreens has been under pressure after the FDA earlier this year criticized the company for allowing young people to buy tobacco products. Shareholders, too, have been for years calling on Walgreens to stop sales of tobacco products altogether.

The FDA in February put Walgreens on notice, initiating “enforcement action against certain" locations of Walgreens stores and other retailers for "repeated violations of restrictions on the sale and distribution of tobacco products, including sales of cigars and menthol cigarettes to minors.”

“Notably, Walgreens is currently the top violator among pharmacies that sell tobacco products, with 22 percent of the stores inspected having illegally sold tobacco products to minors,” the FDA said at the time.

Meanwhile, Congress and several states including Illinois where Walgreens is headquartered have been pushing legislation and regulation that prevent people under the age of 21 from purchasing tobacco products.

In a press release, Walgreens said its 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."

“The company’s action also aligns with the efforts of states and municipalities who have recently enacted, or are considering, laws to restrict tobacco sales to people 21 and older,” the drugstore chain said. “Walgreens has supported such legislative proposals. Studies have shown cities that have enacted Tobacco 21 laws have seen a sharp decline in the tobacco use among young adults 18-20 years old.”

Separately, Walgreens has been studying the purchase of tobacco by customers of all ages in the Gainesville market. Before Tuesday's announcement, Walgreens has said its tobacco sales are a business decision designed to address "customer choice" and executives have stressed they also offer smoking cessation products and treatments.

The study, which began in April, is running 12 to 18 months in Gainesville where Walgreens has 17 stores.