7-Eleven Inc. will pay $1.2 million to resolve allegations that the convenience-store retailer violated the District of Columbia’s ban on the sale of vapes and e-cigarettes within a quarter mile of middle and high schools, the district’s attorney general, Brian Schwalb, announced today. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) revealed that since the ban went into effect in October 2022, 16 7-Eleven convenience stores near Washington, D.C., schools illegally sold thousands of electronic smoking devices.
After OAG’s investigation, 7-Eleven removed electronic smoking devices from the shelves at stores within prohibited school zones. Now, as part of a settlement, the chain, in addition to paying a monetary penalty, must permanently stop all sales and marketing of these devices at its stores near district schools, provide training to staff and monitor franchise stores to ensure compliance with the law.
“Selling vapes and e-cigarettes near schools is illegal because, particularly for young people, these nicotine products are addictive and unhealthy,” said Schwalb. “7-Eleven’s illegal sales threatened to reverse the progress we’ve made reducing tobacco use amongst youth. Protecting the safety of our community is our top priority at the Office of the Attorney General, and that includes enforcing local laws designed to protect the health of our children.”
7-Eleven has dozens of locations in the District of Columbia, including 16 stores within a quarter mile of a middle school or high school.
The new district law went into effect on Oct. 1, 2022. In August, 7-Eleven notified 16 stores near middle and high schools—including 10 stores owned by the corporation and six by franchisees—of the upcoming ban. The investigation revealed that despite this direct notification, all 16 stores continued to sell electronic smoking devices after the ban took effect. In total, the stores received for sale, offered for sale or sold more than 7,500 devices in violation of the law.
During the investigation, 7-Eleven sent additional notices regarding the law to stores within defined school zones, removed vapes and other electronic smoking devices from the shelves of those stores and removed the devices from inventory systems for those stores so they cannot be sold.
Now, under the terms of a settlement agreement that resolves OAG’s investigation—along with paying $1.2 million to the district—7-Eleven must permanently stop selling and marketing vapes and e-cigarettes near district schools. 7-Eleven has removed vapes and e-cigarettes from the shelves and inventory systems of stores in school zones; requires the chain to refrain from advertising or marketing electronic smoking devices inside stores within school zones.
Also, 7-Eleven must provide annual training and reminders to staff at corporate-owned stores in school zones. It will request that franchise stores also participate in training.
Finally, 7-Eleven must monitor franchise stores on a quarterly basis and take steps to ensure compliance and to identify any violations of the district’s ban on selling electronic smoking devices near schools. If 7-Eleven identifies violations, it must notify the store that continued violations could lead to the termination of its franchise agreement, and it must notify OAG. If a franchise store receives four notices of violations within a two-year period, 7-Eleven must terminate its franchise agreement with the store and provide notice of the termination to OAG.
7-Eleven did not respond to a request for comment by posting time.
- 7-Eleven is No. 1 on CSP’s 2025 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count.
Based in Irving, Texas, 7-Eleven— known for its Slurpee, Big Bite and Big Gulp brands—operates, franchises or licenses more than 13,000 stores in the United States and Canada. In addition to 7-Eleven, the company operates and franchises Speedway and Stripes c-stores and the Laredo Taco Company, and Raise the Roost Chicken and Biscuits restaurant brands.
Want to learn more about tobacco? Sign up for CSP’s Tobacco+ Forum in September here.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.