CVS cigarette ban contributes to reduced smoking

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Back in February 2014, CVS Health announced that they would no longer sell cigarettes and all tobacco products in all of its 7,600 stores across America beginning October of that year.

In an official statement, CVS President and CEO Larry Merlo said: "Ending the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products at CVS/pharmacy is simply the right thing to do for the good of our customers and our company. The sale of tobacco products is inconsistent with our purpose—helping people on their path to better health."

He also pointed out: "By removing tobacco products from our retail shelves, we will better serve our patients, clients and health care providers while positioning CVS Caremark for future growth as a health care company. Cigarettes and tobacco products have no place in a setting where health care is delivered."

Months later, the move proved beneficial as TIME reported in November that CVS' revenues rose following the cigarette ban. According to TIME, CVS announced a 9.7-percent increase in revenue from its third quarter earnings in 2013, with an increase in profit of 4.3 percent. Additionally, the pharmacy revenue increased by 16 percent.

Reuters further reports that nicotine patch sales went up 4 percent from a year earlier in the 26 states wherein it had a market share of 15 percent or more. Additionally, CVS said that they are now receiving twice the number of visits at its retail clinics for smoking cessation counseling. According to the CDC, 17.8 percent of adult Americans smoke. That's nearly 18 out of 100 citizens aged 18 and above.

CVS admits that there had been a one-percent decrease in sales of cigarette packs in 13 states where their market share was at least 15 percent. They estimated that they held 1.5 to 2 percent of the U.S. tobacco market before the decision to ban cigarettes in their stores, which yielded about $2 billion in sales per year.

"The data shows that our decision to not sell cigarettes did have an impact," chief medical officer Troyen Brennan said.

Forbes reports that the CDC revealed a 15-percent drop in US smoking rate, compared to 16.8 percent in 2014. Brennan said, "Those who were saying it won’t make any difference because those people will get cigarettes elsewhere were wrong."

Dr. Steve Schroeder, professor of medicine at University of California San Francisco, also spoke about the tobacco ban: "It’s a modest difference, but it’s in the right direction. It’s harder now to buy cigarettes. Some people may have stopped smoking and some people may be smoking fewer cigarettes."