I have been a poor blogger and have not posted in a very long time.
Therefore, it is with great pleasure that I return with a happy announcement. Major media around the country was buzzing with the announcement the CVS Caremark announcement today the pharamacy chain will stop selling tobacco products by October 1.
See the article below at http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/02/05/271906167/cvs-to-stop-selling-tobacco-products Notably, the chain already has a policy against selling "electronic cigarettes" or non-combustible tobacco delivery devices.
As reported by NPR-Saying it is "the right thing for us to do for our customers and our company to help people on their path to better health," the CEO of CVS Caremark announced Wednesday that the company's 7,600 pharmacies will stop selling cigarettes and tobacco products by Oct. 1.
Larry Merlo also said CVS will try to help those who want to quit smoking with a "robust national smoking cessation program" at its locations. CVS says the decision will trim about $2 billion in annual revenue — out of what Forbes reports is $125 billion in sales each year. But as Forbes adds, Merlo believes that "continuing to sell cigarettes, which the Surgeon General blames for 480,000 deaths every year from heart disease, lung cancer, and stroke, was anathema to CVS' long-term plan to become a central player in the U.S. health care system."
Other retailers have recently come under fire for continuing to sell tobacco products while attempting to promote themselves as health and wellness-centered organization. Mega-retailer Walmart remains one of the largest dealers of tobacco products in North America.
