Stop & Shop stops selling all tobacco products – and wants to buy some back

Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from WBUR’s daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it delivered to your inbox, sign up here.

The Italian Air Force had to cancel yesterday’s big flyover, but we can at least witness the many videos that Rhode Islanders took of their tri-color flight over Providence and Newport.

Now for the news:

Another kind of cold turkey: Stop & Shop is giving up smoking — hoping some customers will follow suit. New England’s largest supermarket chain announced yesterday that it will stop selling cigarettes and all other tobacco products at the end of the month (meaning this Saturday is the last day of sales). Stop & Shop spokeswoman Jennifer Barr told WBUR’s Dan Guzman the decision is part of its commitment to “building healthy communities.” “According to the CDC, smoking is still the leading cause of preventable death in the United States each year,” Barr said. “So this is a really important step and we hope these events help inspire our customers to finally make the decision to quit smoking.”

• Zoom out: The decision will affect all 360 Stop & Shop stores in the Northeast — including 125 in Massachusetts.
• Zoom: The company also plans to hold a “cigarette buyback” event – yes, modeled on gun buybacks – at its Grove Hall store in Dorchester this Wednesday. The first 100 customers can exchange unopened packs of cigarettes for a supermarket gift card (plus snack pouches, a Nicorette voucher and informational materials on how to quit smoking).

Freak out: Massachusetts health officials will begin spraying pesticides in over a dozen towns tonight to eradicate mosquito-borne diseases in a number of areas. The move comes after an Oxford man became ill with the first confirmed human case of EEE in the state since 2020.

• Where? Airplanes will spray the pesticides in eight Plymouth County communities, while trucks will spray in four cities south of Worcester. Check the state’s mosquito spray map to see if your neighborhood has been sprayed.
• When? From dusk today until about 4:30 a.m. tomorrow — when the mosquitoes are most active. Ashley Randle, state agriculture commissioner, told WBUR’s John Bender that the mosquitoes will likely continue for several evenings this week. (The exact schedule depends on the weather.)
• Should I be concerned about the pesticides? Not really. The state uses a well-known pesticide called Anvil 10+10, which Randle said poses a “very low” risk to humans and animals based on both its toxicity and the amount used. “To put it in perspective, it’s about the equivalent of a 1-ounce shot glass over a football field,” Randle said.
• Are there precautions I should still take? The state recommends that people in spray zones with respiratory conditions such as asthma or chemical sensitivities stay indoors during spraying times. And while the pesticides are safe for your yard and pets, people with small ornamental fish ponds in their yard may want to cover them until spraying is complete. Find more frequently asked questions here.