Posted on 02/09/2014 2:20:11 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
IT IS GREAT CVS is ending cigarette sales by October, and I know exactly what other dangerous products should go behind the counter when the wall of cancer sticks comes down: Coke, Pepsi, Gatorade, Red Bull, and all other sugary beverages. I say this because I take CVS’s new public health pronouncements seriously.
In announcing the tobacco ban, CVS chief medical officer Troyen Brennan said the drugstore industry is positioning itself to offer more clinical services for chronic diseases. He wrote Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association that it is a “paradox” to sell cigarettes as pharmacies work with primary care clinicians to treat hypertension, diabetes, and other conditions “exacerbated by smoking.”
If CVS truly cares about all the sources of diabetes and other preventable diseases, soda should be the next target. Two days before Brennan’s op-ed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the most dramatic findings yet linking high sugar consumption to heart disease. The WHO and the American Heart Association recommend that less than 10 percent of a person’s daily calories should come from the added sugars found in processed foods, snacks, and beverages. But 71 percent of Americans exceed that figure.
The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that people whose added sugars comprise between 10 to 25 percent of their calories were at 30 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease...
(Excerpt) Read more at bostonglobe.com ...
I wondered the same. No one does that for any product.
My point is cigs are addictive, and people will smoke even when they know it's a bad unhealthy habit...CVS seems to not want to contribute to that problem...
We have free association to buy products we want...soda and energy drinks are not addictive so everybody makes the decision on their own to buy them...
Why would CVS drop them even when they do pose a health concern when people freely buy them by choice...as opposed to cigs...
Didn't think about that...
Plus all the training costs that go along with informing new employees of the rules and penalties...
see post # 62
Yeah....sort of.
I have been doing "Make Your Own" (MYO) for many years which comprises empty cigarette tubes, tobacco and a machine to inject the tobacco into the empty cigarette sleeves.
One of the very first actions by Obama was to raise the tax on bulk tobacco. He raised the tax on loose cigarette tobacco by 2225%!. A pound of cigarette tobacco went from about $15 a pound to $60. (making a "rolled" cigarette the same price as a "store bought")
Ah....but a loophole was found. When raising tobacco prices across the board, they only bumped pipe tobacco a $1 a pound. According to some regulation, pipe tobacco can come in two types of cuts. A short, chunky chipped type found in, say, Prince Albert, or a longer leaf. Historically, most pipe tobaccos have been flavored but under definition, that is not necessary. The new "smooth" pipe tobacco is a longer leaf, unflavored product.
The longer leaf is still shorter and not perfect for cigarette stuffing, but when you are talking about $.80 a pack (internet purchase) that's a small price to pay.
So to get back to my nitpicking point, Bugler Cigarette Tobacco will cost the same as Marlboro. Bugler Smooth Pipe Tobacco will keep you at about $10/carton.
I think this is a massive strategic mistake.
It was smart to not sell cigarettes. I know there are smokers here who will disagree with me, but as a former smoker I am no longer in favor of cigarettes and/or other tobacco products in a “healthy” store.
But going beyond the actual carcinogenic properties of cigarettes to twerk America’s eating habits, will be strongly counter-productive to their sales.
This is a massive mistake.
I predict it will be overturned almost immediately.
You may be right, but I'd bet when you factor in all the costs (there are many) associated with selling tobacco, it's a break even for CVS...
Retailers just don't cut out profits for altruistic reasons...
We "have" free association to buy products we want....
nicotine may be addictive for most but caffeine is also addictive for many and alcohol too (CVS sells booze in many stores)...sugar is addictive - ask a Diabetic that can't 'shake' their sugar consumption and takes a needle to compensate.
Nicotine may be addictive but more people quit than smoke now - so it isn't fully 'no choice' addictive...just like sugar, caffeine and alcohol...et al.
Yep me too- wont be going to CVS. Hypocritical to ban cigs while continuing to sell: Chips, candy, ice cream, pop, processed donuts, monster drinks, etc.
Those items cause obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes.
I agree with you 100%.
It is their business and if they want to get rid of tobacco because it “isn’t healthy” than that’s there business.
I do find it a touch ironic to get rid of tobacco, but you can still buy beer there.
Sure they do....
Hence the phrase "Politically Correct"
.....it's not just for politicians....
What I find amusing is that with a $2 Billion cut in sales of this product, out of that...CVS will be 'paying' the Government -Fed/State- about $1 Billion less in taxation.
caffeine is also addictive
Not true...I cut down from several cups a day to one in the morning...if I quit cold turkey, I'd get a minor headache for a day...no rehab for me..
sugar is addictive - ask a Diabetic that can't 'shake' their sugar consumption and takes a needle to compensate.
Since I am diabetic, I can assure you that is complete and utter nonsense...
What you are describing is not an addiction, but very poor self control...I hate eating products with sugar, it makes me feel like crap and stay away from it as much as possible...
About that $2 Billion —
Is that profit, or gross sales?
“Getting rid of beer and wine sales ...”
And get rid of parking lots for those evil gas burning cars.
Sure they do.... Hence the phrase "Politically Correct" .....it's not just for politicians....
Retailers when they make PC decisions, they take into consideration how the long term profits will be impacted...
If by being PC they escape some left wing moonbat organization demonizing their brand name, it's a good decision couched in A PC statement
People stop smoking cold turkey everyday. Some people just don’t want to quit.
Actually, we all know what is good for us. I applause this company as a conservative...yes...a rare breed that is putting the almighy $ behind what is right for people! Not the other way around.
Since you can buy soda with food stamps, but not cigarettes, I’m guessing they’ll keep selling soda. Wouldn’t want to miss out on that gravy train.
Employees at retail giant CVS Caremark will have to pay a hefty $600-a-year penalty for not disclosing their weight and other personal health data to the company’s benefits firm, under a new health policy that many prominent patient rights advocates are calling invasive.
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