Smart History

CVS gives up cigarette sales to stay true to health-focused mission

Nearly half a million U.S. deaths each year are linked to cigarette smoking, with more than 41,000 of those deaths caused by secondhand smoke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite being deadly, cigarettes are lucrative for the retailers that sell them, generating some $80 billion a year in U.S. sales. CVS Health, the drugstore chain with close to 10,000 U.S. locations, was raking in $2 billion each year in cigarette and other tobacco sales—that is until the company decided it couldn’t continue selling products known to kill people if it wanted to live its purpose of helping people on their path to better health. The company announced in February 2014 that it ... [Read more]

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