"It is a big deal — one of those death knell events the tobacco industry has feared for some time," says Thomas Glynn, director of cancer science and trends at the American Cancer Society. Research shows that making cigarettes even slightly less accessible has a measurable effect on smoking, especially for kids, who have fewer ways to get tobacco, says Otis Brawley, the Cancer Society's chief medical officer. "It's an act of corporate courage," says Brawley, who says the Cancer Society has pressured pharmacies to ban cigarettes for several years. Studies show that being forced to travel just two extra blocks can deter someone from buying cigarettes, Brawley says.
Brawley notes that retailers have known for decades about the importance of positioning products near cash registers, to increase "impulse" buys. Canada has reduced cigarette sales simply by requiring retailers to store them under the counter, where they're invisible to customers, says Richard Hurt, director of Mayo Clinic's Nicotine Dependence Center. He notes that tobacco companies pay convenience stores a lot of money to position cigarette ads prominently near the register.
"The tobacco industry has known for decades that if they can place their products in customers' faces, they have more attractiveness," Hurt says. Brawley says he hopes CVS' decision will pressure pharmacies such as Walgreens, which donates a lot of money to the Cancer Society, to also stop selling tobacco. "If the cigarettes are right in front of you, if they're convenient, you are more likely to buy them," Brawley says. "This is especially true of people who are struggling to quit."
Thanks @CVS_Extra, now we can all breathe a little easier, and our families can live healthier. –mo
— FLOTUS (@FLOTUS) February 5, 2014ForeverMeah says...All stores should be following this ban by Oct. 1.
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