As one of the top pharmacies in the U.S., Walgreens is often identified by consumers with promoting better health. The chain has sought to cultivate that image with in-store clinics, low-cost prescription medicine programs, consumer counseling and other initiatives. It is that very reputation that makes the chain's decision to fight San Francisco's ban on the sale of cigarettes somewhat puzzling.
The chain, recently filed an emergency injunction seeking to stop the San Francisco ban from going into effect on Oct. 1 as scheduled. A Walgreens spokesperson, Tiffani Bruce, told the San Francisco Chronicle that the law was inherently unfair because it forced drugstores to give up the sale of tobacco products while allowing supermarkets, mass merchants and others to continue selling and profiting from cigarettes and other items.
"Our position is based solely on being fair across different types of retailers," said Ms. Bruce.
"Our pharmacists are trained to counsel smokers on smoking cessation products and how to go about kicking their habit," she told the Chronicle. "This ordinance will discourage smokers from coming to a place where they can have this type of access."
San Francisco's director of the Department of Public Health isn't buying Walgreens' story.
"It's one thing to say you're doing it for the convenience of your customers, but to actually sue? To say this is your right to sell the substance associated with the No. 1 cause of preventable death?" Mr. Katz said. "It's unbelievable to me."
Discussion Questions: Will Walgreens' suit, successful or not, hurt its standing as a provider of health care products and services in San Francisco? Or will consumers agree with the chain that the ruling is unfair?