To The Editor:

CVS announced on Wednesday, February 5 that it would no longer be selling cigarettes and tobacco products starting this fall as part of its new health initiative.

CVS is a drugstore chain which promotes health and provides health care services through the health advice it offers and the clinics it runs.

Smoking is harmful and CVS’s move is a good idea in aim, however it is problematic in that CVS is not actually a health store or a doctor’s office.

CVS’s increased involvement in the health care sector and its health strategy are at odds with the fact that it is foremost a drugstore chain.  The fact that it offers clinics for basic ailments and flu shots distract from the fact that ultimately CVS is a retail business.

The last time I was in CVS they sold candy by the register, and as far as I know most doctor’s offices and health care providers do not sell candy, bags of chips, or soda as CVS does.

Sincerely,
Martha Gray
Boston, Mass.