Key Points
- Walgreens has resumed selling vapes in some U.S. stores, reversing a move made more than six years ago.
- Juul says its products are now in, or about to be in, roughly 6,000 Walgreens locations out of nearly 8,000 nationwide.
- Altria-owned NJOY’s store locator lists Walgreens locations across multiple U.S. cities as sellers.
- The move comes as Walgreens, recently acquired by Sycamore Partners, looks for new revenue while cutting costs.
- FDA authorizations since 2021 have made some major retailers more comfortable carrying authorized or “compliant” products.
2Firsts, Jan. 26, 2026
According to Bloomberg, Walgreens has started selling vapes in some U.S. stores, reversing its decision to stop carrying them in 2019. Workers said vape products began appearing on shelves earlier this year. A Juul Labs spokesperson said Juul products are now available, or about to be, in around 6,000 of Walgreens’ nearly 8,000 locations.
Altria-owned NJOY’s store locator also lists Walgreens stores across the country as sellers, spanning locations from Washington, D.C. to Chicago and Seattle. Altria declined to comment.
Walgreens said it offers adult consumers a broad range of products and regularly evaluates its assortment, adding that it has updated offerings to include compliant products. Sycamore Partners declined to comment.
Walgreens, along with major retailers including Walmart and Kroger, pulled vapes from shelves in 2019 amid nationwide concerns, particularly around youth use.
Since then, FDA has authorized certain electronic nicotine delivery system products starting in 2021, which has helped some large retailers justify carrying authorized products. Kroger said it began selling FDA-authorized e-cigarette and vape products in November 2023.
CVS and Walmart said they do not sell e-cigarettes; CVS ended all tobacco sales in 2014, while Walmart has also ended cigarette sales in certain stores in recent years.
Bloomberg also noted that many Walgreens locations still sell cigarettes, although some states and local governments prohibit cigarette sales in pharmacies.
Image source: Bloomberg
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