State AGs Want Retailers to Follow CVS, Stop Tobacco Sales
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iStock Editorial(NEW YORK) — The decision by CVS Caremark to stop selling cigarettes in its pharmacies is inspiring action by 24 state attorneys general.
The attorneys general have written to the chief executives of other major pharmacy chains including Walmart, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Safeway and Kroger, urging them to join CVS in stopping the sale of tobacco products, the Los Angeles Times reports.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who is leading the effort with Ohio AG Michael DeWine, said pharmacies increasingly market themselves as community health care sources, and that selling what he calls “deadly tobacco products” sends a mixed message.
CVS estimates not selling cigarettes will cost them an estimated $2 billion a year. Thus far, none of the other major pharmacies have indicated that they would follow CVS’s lead.
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