The Hypocrisy of National Pharmacy Chains: Will Others Follow the Lead of CVS?
As of January 1, 2014 five cities in California, including San Francisco, have put anti-tobacco laws for pharmacies into effect. Even more staggering than that; ninety-four cities in Massachusetts have put these laws into effect as well, including the capital city Boston.
Cigarettes alone contribute to almost half a million deaths a year in the United States. Smoking cigarettes causes more deaths in America than alcohol, illegal drug use, car accidents, firearms, and HIV all combined. On top of this, smoking harms almost every organ in your body. With these staggering statistics readily available you would think that the last place you'd find tobacco products would be in stores that promote health and well-being. That is not always the case.
Challenge yourself to actually pay attention to what you are surrounded by the next time you step into a drug store. You will more than likely see an overabundance of junk food as you walk through the aisles. Take a quick mental note of just how many varieties of soda, energy drinks, processed snack foods, and candy line the shelves. Furthermore, depending on what state you live in, you may even notice that alcoholic beverages are sold at these “health inclined" stores. Wouldn't it be a huge step forward if these corporate syndicates started challenging what is acceptable to stock their shelves with? One corporate chain is making headway with this, paving the way to a healthier future, slowly but surely.
Last year, CVS Pharmacies launched a policy that effectively pulled all tobacco products, not only cigarettes, from their shelves. CVS implemented this policy in September of last year, which was a month earlier than scheduled. This is a superior example of what public relations with pharmacies' targeted demographic should be modeled after. This is something that is setting the company apart from other mainstream pharmacies.
The president and CEO of CVS, Larry Merlo, made this official video statement:
“By removing tobacco products from our retail shelves, we will better serve our patients, clients, and health-care providers while positioning CVS for future growth as a health-care company. Cigarettes and tobacco products have no place in a setting where health care is delivered. This is the right thing to do."
Now take a look at some opposition from Walgreens. This corporation is the largest pharmacy chain in the country. They make claims right on the homepage of their website stating that they are “at the corner of happy and healthy." Despite these claims, they still sell an abundance of tobacco products. When the city of San Francisco made huge headway by pioneering the idea of anti-tobacco pharmacies, Walgreens released this statement:
“This proposal will make it less convenient for you to shop for all your needs in one location in your neighborhood, while limiting your access to legally available products."
It seems that their focus is more geared toward convenience and less on healthy lifestyles.
Another prime example is the stance that Rite Aid has taken on this issue. Their rewards program is called the “Wellness+" program. They claim that it is a program to “benefit both your wellness and your wallet." Yet they still sell tobacco products. Rite Aid spokesperson, Ashley Flower, made the following statement:
“We will continue to evaluate the products and services we offer in our stores as we move forward as a company."
She then proceeded to announce that Rite Aid will continue to sell tobacco products.
Pharmacies generally tend to take the stance that it's safer to buy tobacco products from their stores because information is readily available on helping to kick the habit. Sure, there might be pamphlets available for you to browse through if you can find them, but one cannot help but recognize that this is a huge inconsistency. This stance is hurting, not helping, and legitimizes the sale and use of tobacco products in an environment that shouldn't be acting as an enabler of such unhealthy habits.
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