CVS Will Stop Tobacco Sales Today

CVS Caremark will make good on its pledge to stop selling tobacco by October 1, according to USA Today. The pharmacy chain will stop selling tobacco today in all of its stores.

In February, the company announced it would stop selling tobacco products because the sales conflicted with its healthcare mission. The company plans to change its name to CVS Health, the article notes. Retail stores will continue to be called CVS/Pharmacy. The company is the second-largest drugstore chain, behind Walgreens. It is the first drugstore chain to stop selling tobacco.

CVS will launch a smoking-cessation campaign to coincide with the halt in tobacco sales.

“Today, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids calls on all retailers, especially those involved in health care, to follow the powerful example set by CVS Health and end tobacco sales,” Matthew Myers, president of the anti-smoking organization, said in a news release. “If they are truly committed to improving health, retailers such as Walmart, Walgreens and Rite Aid must stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products.”

A study conducted by CVS found tobacco bans at pharmacies in San Francisco and Boston resulted in more than 13 percent fewer people who purchased tobacco in those cities.

Several CVS executives have been personally impacted by tobacco use. The father of CEO Larry Merlo died of tobacco-related cancer at age 57, and the mother of CVS/Pharmacy President Helene Foulkes died of lung cancer from smoking.