CVS Chain Kicks Tobacco’s Butt (Out Of Their Stores)

The story of CVS (Caremark) pharmacies no longer selling tobacco products seems to be dominating today’s headlines across the board.

It is true that numerous studies have identified smoking as the single major cause of preventable death in these United States.  It is also true that smoking has diminished in recent years.  Most of the studies I see show that the numbers have gone down from maybe 25% of the population to maybe 15% of the population, which will surely prolong and increase the quality of the lives of the individuals who have kicked the habit.

Legislation may have helped some.  I have heard time and time again that nicotine is one of the most addictive, perhaps THE most addictive substance known to man.  I have heard from plenty of patients how an unexpected stimulus or even memory has caused relapse.

I know that people struggle.  With any addiction, accepting (and forgiving) relapse is part of treatment.  Me — I somehow once naively believed that the “rage to live” would force people to keep fighting against addictions, in order to live more and longer and better.

That was naive of me.

Another article, from the same service (USA Today) says this corporate decision could “sharply cut” USA smoking rates.

Now somebody else is acting naive.  It is not me.

This is a marketing decision, a commercial decision, and not a public health one.

It might be a brilliant one.

The decision that pharmacies are making is to promote themselves as health-care deliverers.  After all, pharmacists give injections and do myriad things that they would never have done when I was a child.

CVS certainly comes across as caring for the well being of its customers in ways that other pharmaceutical retailers might not.  Sure, they will make less money by not carrying something folks want to come in and by.  But they exist ultimately to make money like every corporate entity does.  They have blitzed the American media and it seems somehow made themselves beloved by riding a high and moral road.  I am convinced they will reap material benefits somehow.

Maybe, as a pattern of American activity, this is the way things are going.  Some landmark American public health policy decisions, like adding iodine to salt or vitamin D to milk have greatly advanced personal health and lifespan in these United States.

We are the land of a Corporate culture.  Perhaps individual corporations will take the advance before government entities.  Perhaps we have no government entities that are free of corporate control and they have become one and the same.

This I do know — with the internet we have a global country, and it is possible to see what other countries do.

I will admit to having a soft spot for Canada.  I lived there for a bit, and have cooperated with a major Canadian University (U. Calgary) in research.  In Alberta as of 2008, there is what they call a “shower curtain” or “powerwall” law keeping tobacco out of sight — not on shelves, but where people need to ask for it to get it.  If indeed impulse buying makes people get off the wagon and smoke again, this is a great idea, zillions of times more powerful than a single commercial entity making cigarettes unavailable for sale, so people can go to another commercial entity.

American authorities claim to have saved about 8 million lives with current anti-cigarette legislation.  Maybe, but the government has lost all credibility when quoting statistics.  They always twist things to make them self-serving.

Government advertising campaigns, legislations — these are all helpful, but somehow do not feel serious.  There could be some ulterior motive – like making an appearance of caring while doing something ineffectual to impress the voters back home.

People persist in smoking for a variety of reasons.  Most people seem to start in adolescence, when, in my estimation, defiance outweighs intelligence in innumerable ways.

It is no accident I am not a specialist in Child and Adolescent psychiatry.  I quickly fatigued of the “in loco parentis” role of setting limits that seemed illogical and unnecessary to moon-eyed, overgrown children who wanted to assert their individuality in all the wrong ways.

The realization of addiction comes much, much later.

My husband and I actually wrote (and he recorded) an album of smoking cessation songs.  Wade sang the familiar Sinatra-esque croonable memories for the older folks who want to quit. We knew we were on the right track when the recording engineer (a heavy-smoker) said he actually quit smoking for the duration of our three-day session – and he was totally surprised.

Of course, he resumed as soon as we left.  But we were all amazed at the time.

Behavioral training through familiar melodies – what a beautiful concept.  We were excited about it then and still are, in our own way.

My husband and I created topical lyrics (along with the mastermind of the product, Ms. Parker Philpott, Las Vegas, NV.

The album was recorded for a client to use in public service announcements, but in writing this column,  I realize that the work could be re-packaged and distributed through general channels.

Anybody interested?  You can hear a sample cut, if you are interested.

As for tobacco sales in stores – the Tobacco Industry is tricky and has managed to dodge just about every obstacle the government has put in their way.  It is suspicious that the government seems to be working against Big Tobacco on one front, and yet still paying subsidies to tobacco farmers.

Yes – ulterior motives.  When you can’t understand why things are going the way they are going, there is probably a good reason.

Congratulations, CVS.  May you set a good example for other businesses.