Thanks CVS - Ending Tobacco Sales!

I am very pleased that the CVS pharmacy chain will be ending tobacco sales at all its stores later this year!   Cigarettes and other tobacco products are much more visible and available for purchase than is necessary.    It is important that we encourage actions that particularly may help teen and pre-teen youth avoid getting addicted to products like cigarettes and snuff.    Where adults struggle the most to stop smoking, nearly always they’ve become addicted while quite young.

Cigarettes are “worse” than liquor as well as lottery tickets and many other products (like donuts) commonly sold in part because they “kill directly” through their usage.   Alcohol, for example, may be abused and contribute to the deaths of many, however when consumed in moderation it generally won’t hurt most people.   There is no “safe consumption level” of tobacco products.

CVS, the second largest U.S. pharmacy chain, is taking a major step in announcing its termination of tobacco sales.   CVS’s joining Target in not selling tobacco products by itself won’t substantially cut smoking in the U.S.   It will, however, introduce the issue of voluntary limitations upon tobacco sales.

Hopefully other major corporations will follow CVS and help cut the availability of cigarettes and other tobacco products in U.S. stores.    Hopefully people will now talk more about the importance of further cutting the consumption of tobacco products in the U.S.   Hopefully someday in the not-so-distant future 10 year old kids won’t be stealing cigarettes, getting given cigarettes and getting hooked while so young!

Thanks!