CVS announced Feb. 5 that they would no longer be selling tobacco products. They are the first US drugstore to stop selling tobacco products, a plan that will start October 1, 2014.
The company said that it did not make sense to promote wellness while selling something so unhealthy. Many, including former smoker President Obama, commended the company for doing the right thing, even with the revenue loss.
“I agree with CVS going with their morals instead of where the money is,” said Cameron Leonard, freshman.
CVS will lose about 2 million a year from loss of tobacco sales, but this is only two percent of their 123 billion dollar revenue. The company will be more focused on healthcare, which total spending for is expected to reach 4.8 trillion dollars by 2020 in the United States.
Healthcare in America is a bigger business than cigarettes, making it easier for CVS to give up tobacco. The company also gained significant media attention after their announcement.
The tobacco industry as well will not suffer too terribly as drugstores account for only 3.6 percent of cigarettes sold in the United States. Smokers can just as easily go to a gas station which is where 84.5 percent of cigarettes are sold.
“I think that CVS taking a stand is a good thing and that other people will see,” said Janet Packett, Health Science teacher.
The announcement will put pressure on Walgreens and other drugstores to follow in suit. However, it also means that these stores can make up for CVS’s lack of tobacco products and may get business from people who used to shop at CVS.
There is question on whether CVS would also stop selling other harmful products such as alcohol and candy. There is doubt of this because according to CVS unlike cigarettes, alcohol and candy are not harmful in moderation.
Anti-smoking groups will use CVS to try to get other drugstores and larger superstores to stop selling tobacco. CVS’s decision could have an impact on the youth and smoking in America acting as a driving momentum for a decline of tobacco use.
According to the Health and Human Services Department, roughly 3,200 kids under 18 try smoking, everyday. Of those kids, 700 will go on to be daily smokers, which leads 5.6 million American children to die from smoking related disease.
“I don’t think that CVS stopping the sale of tobacco products will have much effect on teens smoking, but maybe it would if all drugstores joined. The smoking rate is going down. I hope people are realizing that it’s not the thing to do,” said Packett.
CVS’s decision to act upon moral beliefs instead of money will impact more than just the economical side of their business.
