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Walgreens Sees Smoke Over San Francisco’s Tobacco Ban

San Francisco recently passed a city-wide ordinance that bans the sale of all tobacco-based products in pharmacies, such as Walgreens. The ban, scheduled to take effect October 1, has stirred up a fire at the nationwide pharmacy chain, Walgreens leading officials to ask for an injunction against the ban.

Walgreens’ objection is that stores other than drugstores can continue to sell tobacco products, even when they contain a pharmacy as a feature of business, as many supermarkets and wholesale-club stores do. Walgreens claims the ban is unconstitutional and anticompetitive.

A September 30 hearing date is set with California’s superior court, at which time the company will seek a preliminary injunction. Walgreens operates 52 outlets in the city of San Francisco that would be affected by the ban.

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