CVS Caremaker has announced that it will no longer sell cigarettes and other tobacco products at its CVS/pharmacy stores by this October 1, according to Reuters.
The move makes CVS/pharmacy the first chain of national pharmacies to remove tobacco products off its shelves.
"Ending the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products at CVS/pharmacy is the right thing for us to do for our customers and our company to help people on their path to better health," said Larry J. Merlo, president and CEO of CVS Caremark, in a statement, according to *blank. "Put simply, the sale of tobacco products is inconsistent with our purpose."
CVS Caremaker is the biggest pharmacy in the U.S. based on total prescription revenue, according to the company.
There are over 7,600 CVS/pharmacy stores around the country, along with 800 MinuteClinics.
"This is an important, bold public health decision by a major retail pharmacy to act on the long understood reality that blending providing health care and providing cigarettes just doesn't match," said Dr. Richard Wender, chief cancer control officer at the American Cancer Society.
Despite the fact that CVS Caremaker will be promoting a healthier lifestyle to its customers, it will come at a price. The company stands to lose approximately $2 billion each year from tobacco product shoppers.
Some stores in the U.S. already ban the sale of tobacco products in its pharmacies.
Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said that CVS' decision could start a ripple effect and force other companies to get rid of tobacco products.
U.S. cigarette sales have dropped 31.3 percent between 2003 and 2013, according to Euromonitor International.
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