CVS will no longer sell cigarettes at its drugstores.
“We have about 26,000 pharmacists and nurse practitioners helping
patients manage chronic problems like high cholesterol, high blood
pressure and heart disease, all of which are linked to smoking,” said
Larry J. Merlo, chief executive of CVS. “We came to the decision that
cigarettes and providing health care just don’t go together in the same
setting.”
(NYTimes)
The famous Surgeon General's report linking smoking to serious health problems, such as lung cancer and heart disease, hit the streets in 1964. Why only now is CVS removing this dangerous product from its pharmacies?
Since the release of the report, the percentage of American who smoke has decreased from 42% to 19%. Fewer people are buying cigarettes. In addition, some jurisdictions have already banned cigarette sales at pharmacies. So CVSs in those places served as test cases for how stores fare without cigarette sales.
Meanwhile, CVS continues to sell as much junk food as ever.
