American Lung Association Congratulates CVS For Removing All Tobacco Products From CVS/Pharmacy Stores

CHICAGO, Sept. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Lung Association applauds CVS for removing cigarettes and all tobacco products from all CVS/pharmacy locations across the U.S. This is an important milestone for the health of the American people today and for generations to come.   

We are very pleased that CVS has accelerated its timeline to remove all tobacco products from its shelves. We urge all retailers – especially retailers with pharmacies – to follow CVS's lead. This includes not selling any tobacco products and helping current tobacco users get the support they need to quit. By working to reduce access to tobacco products, every person and every company can play a role in helping to end tobacco-caused death and disease.

Fifty years after the release of the first Surgeon General's report that linked smoking with cancer and other diseases, tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and illness in the U.S. Every year, almost half a million people die from tobacco-caused disease in the U.S. With our health and medical partners, the American Lung Association has called for urgent action by all levels of government to achieve three bold goals:

• Reduce smoking rates, currently at about 18 percent, to less than 10 percent within 10 years;
• Protect all Americans from secondhand smoke within five years; and
• Ultimately eliminate the death and disease caused by tobacco use.

CVS' courageous move will help our nation achieve these goals.

There is much more work to be done to end the terrible tobacco epidemic. We urge the Obama administration to step up to protect the health of all Americans by finalizing the Food and Drug Administration regulation that would give the agency oversight authority of all tobacco products including cigars, electronic cigarettes, pipe tobacco, hookah and other tobacco products by the end of 2014.

On behalf of the Lung Association's volunteers and staff, I commend the newly branded CVS Health for making a tremendous contribution to the collective fight to make tobacco history. 

About LUNG FORCE
LUNG FORCE is a new national movement led by the American Lung Association to unite women against lung cancer, the #1 cancer killer of women. LUNG FORCE has three priorities: 1) Make lung cancer a cause that people care about – and act on; 2) Educate and empower patients and healthcare providers; and 3) Raise critical funds for lung cancer research. The American Lung Association's LUNG FORCE is nationally presented by CVS Caremark. Find out more at LUNGFORCE.org.

About the American Lung Association
Now in its second century, the American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. With your generous support, the American Lung Association is "Fighting for Air" through research, education and advocacy. For more information about the American Lung Association, a holder of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Guide Seal, or to support the work it does, call 1 800 LUNG USA (1 800 586 4872) or visit www.lung.org.

American Lung Association • 55 W. Wacker Drive, Suite 1150, Chicago, IL 60601
1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) • www.lung.org

Contact:
Gregg Tubbs
American Lung Association
202-715-3469
[email protected]

Catherine McCormack
Edelman
212-819-4816
[email protected]

SOURCE American Lung Association