‘President’ Newsom Takes Aim At Walgreens

Gov. Gavin Newsom

By The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, March 10, 2023

Walgreens last week drew the fury of the abortion left when it said it wouldn’t distribute the drug in some 20 states out of legal caution. This includes several states where abortion is legal, but retail pharmacies aren’t allowed to dispense the drug directly to patients. Pharmacists who violate the state laws can be punished with prison.

Enter Mr. Newsom, who on Monday vowed to bar Walgreens from doing business with the state, including potentially its vast Medicaid business unless it violated other state abortion laws. Walgreens responded that it “plans to dispense mifepristone in any jurisdiction where it is legally permissible to do so” and “consistent with federal and state laws.” Not good enough for Mr. Newsom.

On Wednesday California gave Walgreens notice that it is withdrawing a contract renewal for its prison system. Liberals are comparing Mr. Newsom’s retaliation against Walgreens to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s rescinding state regulatory and tax privileges for Disney. But unlike Disney, Walgreens has no special governing privileges from the state and didn’t wade into a culture war. It was dragged into one.

Businesses make themselves targets when they take positions on political issues, but they don’t deserve to be attacked for trying to comply with state and federal laws. This distinction is lost on Mr. Newsom, who wants to impose California’s values on the rest of America. He’s also banned travel by state employees to states with religious liberty protections.

Maybe he hopes that bullying businesses and other states will distract from California’s problems. It’s no wonder so many businesses are leaving the state.