Giant retail pharmacy CVS Caremark has cleared tobacco products from its stories a month earlier than promised, according to a company announcement, in a move designed to bolster its image as a health care-oriented business. The company said it stopped selling tobacco as of Sept. 3, and will change its corporate name to CVS Health.
In this Expert’s Corner video, UMass Medical School tobacco cessation expert Tina Grosowsky explains the tremendous impact of the CVS decision and how it will affect tomorrow’s youth.
“The tobacco industry specifically uses the retail pharmacy market to target youth,” said Grosowsky, project coordinator for the Central Massachusetts Tobacco-free Community Partnership in the Department of Psychiatry at UMass Medical School. “The fact that CVS has taken this extraordinary measure to remove tobacco products from their shelves is eliminating a huge market that youth use.”
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