http://www.vocativ.com/culture/health-culture/cvs-tobacco-state-of-the-union/
Larry J. Merlo, the CEO and president of CVS, will have a coveted seat in the VIP box with Michelle Obama at Tuesday night’s State of the Union address. Merlo was picked to join the first lady because CVS announced in September that all its stores would stop selling cigarettes.
Praise for the decision on social media reached as far as the White House:
Larry J. Merlo, the CEO and president of CVS, will have a coveted seat in the VIP box with Michelle Obama at Tuesday night’s State of the Union address. Merlo was picked to join the first lady because CVS announced in September that all its stores would stop selling cigarettes.
Praise for the decision on social media reached as far as the White House:
But before CVS took the tobacco high road, the company was cited a number of times for selling cigarettes to underage smokers. Between 2011 and September 2014, it racked up 178 warning letters and 14 fines for selling cigarettes to minors, according to an FDA database. The database shows that out of hundreds of retail outlets, CVS was among the top 10 most-cited chains in the U.S. last year for alleged cigarette sales to children.
CVS certainly deserves some credit for swearing off cigarettes—the company has said that dropping tobacco will cost it about $2 billion in annual sales. But the FDA estimates that about 3,200 children smoke their first cigarette every day, and CVS was part of that for a long, long time.
Filed under: General Problems
I am rather disappointed that Mr Merlo shows up alongside leadership that promotes health issues. He is head of a multi-billion dollar corporation with a poor record of implementation of policies that support healthy choices. The most effective method I have witnessed with the outcome of reduced tobacco sales is noting that a typical pack of cigarettes in Canada costs more than $10.00 more than twice as much as in some locations in the USA. CVS Caremark could do a significantly better job in promoting health and wellness by improving working conditions and appropriately rewarding employees that advance the profession, providing leverage in reasonable prescription prices of expensive psych and other medications, dropping out of the high-stakes collusion with companies like Quorum, Catamaran and other kickback corps. in twisting the US government reimbursement for drugs instead of prancing around pretending that not selling tobacco in their drugstores has no distinct advantage to their own bottom line.
What a bunch of bull. I wonder how many other companies that sell cigarettes have had the same issue.
At the State of the Union, Merlo will be joining the rest of the crooks!
I still find it wrong that CVS is taking patient’s choice away by tacking upto 15.00 to their copay for purchasing their prescriptions where cigarettes are sold, and they are dictating to other businesses regarding whether they should be selling cigarettes while CVS still sells alcohol. Alcohol causes same if not more health issues as cigarettes. When are they banning the alcohol and snack food??? I’m not a against any business that sells either cigarettes or alcohol, personally, I don’t care. IMO, these are all a personal choice. But CVS is being hypocrites on this. How many stores have been cited by Excise Police of underage sales of alcohol??? Besides, some of these big box stores, pharmacy isn’t the the real money maker, so punishing the patients for convience is pretty stupid in my book. I noticed they’re already after their own employees about their weight and what medications they take..I hope someone grows a pair and sues that their healthcare is none of their empolyers business!! Thank God I don’t work there anymore
Also there is insurance plan for drugs- that has preferred stores who do not sell cigarettes- hmmm