CVS Caremark Corp said today that it would stop selling tobacco products at its 7,600 stores by October, becoming the first national drugstore chain in the US to take cigarettes off the shelves.
Public health experts called the decision by the number two US drugstore chain a precedent-setting step that could pressure other retailers to follow suit.
It comes at a time when pharmacies are taking on a much bigger role in healthcare.
President Barack Obama, a former smoker, praised the move, saying CVS had set a powerful example.
“Today’s decision will help advance my administration’s efforts to reduce tobacco-related deaths, cancer, and heart disease, as well as bring down healthcare costs,” Mr Obama said in a statement. – (Reuters)
