Stop & Shop stops selling tobacco products at all locations

Health

The grocery chain is holding a cigarette buyback event on August 28 at Grove Hall, Dorchester Stop & Shop, 460 Blue Hill Ave.

Stop & Shop will stop selling cigarettes and tobacco products in all 360 stores by August 31, the grocer said in a statement.

The move is part of the brand’s “commitment to community well-being,” the statement said.

The grocer will also hold cigarette buybacks on Aug. 28 in areas with high rates of smoking and smoking-related health problems, the statement said. The first 100 customers to bring in an unopened pack of cigarettes will receive a Stop & Shop gift card and a bag of snacks, mints and smoking cessation aids.

A buyback event will be held at the Grove Hall Stop & Shop at 460 Blue Hill Ave., Dorchester.

“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.

According to the Center for Disease Control, over 480,000 people die each year in the United States from smoking cigarettes. More than 16 million Americans currently suffer from a smoking-related illness, according to the CDC.