Massachusetts’ largest grocery store chain will stop selling tobacco products in all of its stores this week.
Stop & Shop, which operates 125 stores in Massachusetts, described its decision as “part of the brand’s commitment to community well-being.”
On Wednesday, the shopping giant held a cigarette buyback event in the city, where customers could exchange an unopened pack or carton of cigarettes for a Stop & Shop gift card, a bag of snacks, mints, smoking cessation products and nicotine gum coupons.
“Our responsibility as a grocer extends far beyond our shelves, and we are committed to taking bold steps to help our associates, customers and communities work toward better health outcomes,” said Gordon Reid, president of Stop & Shop.
CVS stopped selling cigarettes nationwide in 2014, becoming the first national pharmacy chain to ban the products from all of its stores. The move was praised by state and federal government officials, including then-President Barack Obama.
Stop & Shop will stop selling tobacco on Saturday.
Reid’s statement also noted that the store’s pharmacists and registered dietitians aim to “promote the health and well-being of the neighborhoods we serve.”
After years of declining cigarette smoking rates among adults, there was a slight increase in the number of adults smoking between 2021 and 2022, from 11.5% to 11.6%, according to the American Lung Association’s latest Annual Tobacco Control Report. At the same time, overall tobacco use among adults is increasing at a faster rate, driven by an increase in e-cigarette use among adults from 4.5 percent to 6 percent.
“The increase in e-cigarette use over the past two years has been driven by the 18-24 age group, and 65.5% of e-cigarette users in this age group were not previously smokers in 2022,” the report said.
