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What do you think about the decision by CVS pharmacy stores to no longer sell tobacco products after Oct. 1?
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CVS Caremark pharmacy stores around the country — including 30 in Greater Cincinnati — won’t have tobacco products for sale after Oct. 1, a move that the company says will cost it billions but is consistent with its health care mission.
“Ending the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products at CVS/pharmacy is the right thing for us to do for our customers and our company to help people on their path to better health,” said Larry J. Merlo, president and chief executive officer. “Put simply, the sale of tobacco products is inconsistent with our purpose.”
With 7,600 CVS Caremark outlets nationwide, the Rhode Island-based company ranks as the nation’s second-largest drugstore chain. It will forgo $2 billion in annual revenue to discontinue tobacco sales, the company said.
There’s no indication, at least in the near-term, that any other local pharmacies that sell tobacco are following CVS’ lead.
Independent business Tom’s Cigar Store, situated on Main Street in Hamilton, has two CVS locations within two miles of the shop. Manager Mike Morris said he’s not sure how the decision by CVS could positively impact his tobacco sales.
“We’re such a neighborhood store that people walk here,” Morris said. “Smokers still have a lot of options,” including at least four tobacco stores along Main and High streets.
Morris said with the reputation of Tom’s Cigar Store, nearly 100 years old, the business wouldn’t be able to stop its sale of tobacco.
Health agencies across Ohio were overjoyed Wednesday at the news CVS locations would no longer sell cigarettes and other tobacco products.
“It’s kind of surprising but certainly a positive step,” said Patricia Burg, director of the Butler County Health Department.
Burg said a movement like this from a national retailer affirms the public health perspective that smoking and second-hand smoke are dangerous.
More than 43 million people in America currently smoke, and tobacco will cause an estimated 480,000 deaths this year in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society.
“With anything we do that’s not the best for our health — smoke, drink, eat a lot — there will be people who want to continue on in their pattern,” Burg said.
In Butler and Warren counties, about 25 percent of adults smoke cigarettes, according to the Ohio Department of Health. In Preble County, that number is 24 percent.
Ohio is currently ranked 47th in the nation for investment in tobacco cessation programs, and has the 10th highest smoking rate with 23.3 percent, said Jeff Stephens, director of Ohio’s government relations for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.
“This is a bold move and it makes a lot of sense,” Stephens said of the CVS announcement. “It’s another symbol that the culture of our country to moving toward tobacco-free.”
Since the landmark U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health in 1964, the nation’s smoking rate has declined significantly from 42 percent in 1964 to 18 percent today.
Dr. Julian Guitron, a UC Health thoracic surgeon, said he hopes this announcement from CVS will help individuals and current smokers think twice about buying that next pack of cigarettes or pouch of smokeless tobacco.
“We tend to bury our heads under the sand to the damaging effects,” Guitron said. “That should really be a wake-up call to individuals who tend to ignore everyday news of the hazards.”
Guitron said the company’s willingness to lose $2 billion in annual tobacco sales only further illustrates the importance of reducing tobacco use across the nation. Guitron said he hopes this news will persuade young people from starting to smoke, as well as encourage more retailers to stop the sale of tobacco products.
“Ethical and common sense wins over financial,” Guitron said.
Local residents also shared a variety of opinions on the news.
“It is a little crazy that a company that carries health care supplies, sells such bad items,” said Bobbie Jean Breedlove, of Hamilton, who quit smoking a little more than two years ago. “… Now Walgreens and Rite Aid and everyone else needs to follow.”
Beth Holmes, of Hamilton, said she hopes CVS will begin a trend for other retailers to follow.
“My boyfriend smokes, and it worries me to no end,” Holmes said. “Maybe if he had a harder time getting them, he’d slow down.”
Staff Writer Steve Bennish contributed to this report.
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