By Tess Stynes
Attorneys general in 28 states are asking five major U.S.
retailers to stop selling tobacco products in stores that also have
pharmacies, urging them to follow the example of CVS Caremark
Corp., which unveiled plans to remove tobacco products from its
stores last month.
The attorneys general have written to the chief executives of
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Walgreen Co., Rite Aid Corp., Safeway Inc.
and Kroger Co., asking them to remove tobacco products from their
shelves. They also praised CVS's decision to end tobacco sales in
its stores.
CVS, the nation's second-largest pharmacy chain, is aiming to
stop selling all cigarettes and tobacco products nationwide by
October, and has said they have no place in a drugstore company
that is trying to become more of a health-care provider.
The latest push to remove tobacco from retailers' shelves is
being led by Ohio Attorney General Michael DeWine and New York
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
"Pharmacies and drugstores, which increasingly market themselves
as a source for community health care, send a mixed message by
continuing to sell deadly tobacco products," Mr. Schneiderman said
in a statement Monday.
Write to Tess Stynes at tess.stynes@wsj.com
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