(New York, NY) Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman published an op-ed in the Journal News on his effort, as the co-leader of a coalition of 28 attorneys general nationwide, to persuade the largest pharmacy chains in the United States to stop selling tobacco products. The attorneys general have also commended CVS Caremark for its recent decision to stop selling tobacco in its stores. In his op-ed, Attorney General Schneiderman argued that other pharmacy chains should follow CVS’ model and put customers’ health ahead of potential profit.
The following are excerpts from the op-ed:
ON THE TOLL OF TOBACCO ABUSE: Every year, cigarettes kill more than 480,000 Americans — more than alcohol, illegal drug use, car accidents and firearm-related deaths combined. Smoking causes heart disease and emphysema, increases the risk of stroke, and is the primary cause of lung cancer.
ON CVS’ MODEL: According to the company’s own annual report, a significant portion of CVS’ revenue comes from reimbursements from government-sponsored health-care programs, including Medicaid and Medicare … The corporate managers at CVS foresaw an inherent conflict: that providing government-funded prescription reimbursements to companies whose business practices further the nation’s leading cause of preventable deaths could violate state laws — and that if state attorneys general ruled in that direction, it could jeopardize a very valuable revenue stream.
ON THE MIXED MESSAGE OF TOBACCO IN PHARMACIES: In pharmacies that sell tobacco products, children buying candy or gum are confronted with eye-catching cigarette displays right behind the checkout counter. This puts temptation easily within sight, but just out of reach — in a country where 90 percent of adult smokers start before age 18. And customers who are trying to quit smoking — a difficult task, attained by just 4 percent of smokers who try — have to pay for their smoking-cessation products while staring at rows upon rows of cigarette packs … This sends a dangerous mixed message — that far from being a hazard, cigarettes are simply a routine part of life, like toothpaste, aspirin and Band-Aids.
ON THE MANDATES OF ATTORNEYS GENERAL TO PROTECT CITIZENS FROM TOBACCO’S DANGERS: Since the 1998 settlement was signed, the New York attorney general’s office has taken a strong enforcement role, suing several major tobacco companies for violating the agreement, sponsoring legislation at the state level to ban ads aimed at children and working at the national level to empower states to restrict all tobacco advertising … Seeking voluntary compliance from major pharmacy chains in helping to protect their customers — especially young people — from highly addictive, highly toxic tobacco products is in keeping with the mandate of every attorney general to work to reduce tobacco use and protect public health.
The full op-ed by Attorney General Schneiderman can be read here.
