CVS Health Resigns From Chamber of Commerce to Protest Pro-Tobacco Lobbying

The CVS Health Corporation has announced it is resigning from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in protest over the group’s efforts to lobby against antismoking laws worldwide, according to The New York Times.

Last week, the newspaper reported that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its foreign affiliates have engaged in a worldwide effort to fight antismoking laws. According to the article, these groups have targeted restrictions on smoking in public spaces, bans on menthol and slim cigarettes, advertising restrictions, increases in excise taxes, graphic warning labels and plain packaging. Many of these lobbying efforts have taken place in developing nations.

CVS stopped selling tobacco last year, saying the sales conflicted with its healthcare mission. The company is the second-largest drugstore chain, behind Walgreens. It is the first drugstore chain to stop selling tobacco.

“We were surprised to read recent press reports concerning the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s position on tobacco products outside the United States,” David R. Palombi, a senior vice president at the company, said in a statement. “CVS Health’s purpose is to help people on their path to better health, and we fundamentally believe tobacco use is in direct conflict with this purpose.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce says it is acting to safeguard its members’ business interests. “To be clear, the chamber does not support smoking and wants people to quit,” the group said in a statement. “At the same time, we support protecting the intellectual property and trademarks of all legal products in all industries and oppose singling out certain industries for discriminatory treatment.”

The chamber, the nation’s largest trade group, has more than three million members, including major corporations such as Google and Microsoft. Pfizer, Xerox and Ace Hardware are among the companies that serve on the board.