American Cancer Society Celebrates CVS Health’s Tobacco-free Move

Below is a statement from John R. Seffrin, Ph.D., CEO of the American Cancer Society on CVS Health’s Newly Tobacco-free Stores:

"When CVS Health announced its plans earlier this year to halt the sale of tobacco products in its stores, it swiftly fortified its commitment to the health and wellness of its customers and the communities it serves and definitively acknowledged, in no uncertain terms, that fighting cancer is good business.

"Its move was particularly fitting as the nation marked the 50^th anniversary of the landmark 1964 U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health, which launched one of the most successful, life-saving public health movements in United States history, reducing the smoking rate by more than half and saving more than 8 million lives.

"But with tobacco poised to take 1 billion lives worldwide in this next century, there is an urgent need to do more. We know that policies that restrict access to tobacco products, reduce exposure to tobacco advertising, and limit the places that people smoke have a direct effect on reduced smoking rates, especially among youth.

"Today we celebrate CVS Health for being the trailblazer that we hope will embolden other retailers to join us in making this cancer’s last century."