Native Americans have been smoking tobacco for its suspected medicinal benefits before Columbus ever sailed the ocean blue, but the cigarette in its present form didn’t become widely popular in the United States until after the Civil War. Since then, the cigarette industry has evolved and built itself a seemingly permanent home in American popular culture. Roughly until the 1970s, smoking was presented as a safe and innately “cool” habit in media, advertising and retail. The activity has embedded itself in the lifestyles of many Americans, and is continuing to damage their bodies without fail. A rising issue is the fact that these cancer-causing stink sticks are sold in drugstores and pharmacies, strongly contradicting their intended purpose: to offer affordable products that will ultimately improve one’s health.
This purported image of cigarette smoking alongside a lack of proper health education is what caused my grandparents and parents to become addicted to nicotine. My grandparents have been chain-smoking “smooth” Pall Mall’s since before I can remember, and my mother and father always have a pack of Parliament Lights nearby.
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After practicing for years with pretzels and toothpicks, I took my first puff when I was twelve years old. As a teenager, I would smoke half a cigarette at a party in order to socialize with others. But if I inhaled an entire cigarette, the overcoming taste of dry diesel fuel combined with the powerful effects of nicotine caused me to feel so lightheaded that I feared I would faint. This pretend habit didn’t last for long. I vehemently despise the stale, noxious smell that lingers on a smoker’s breath and skin, but many of my family and friends still disagree.
A week or so ago a longtime smoker and good friend of mine went to the corner store to buy a pack of cigarettes. When she returned, she was surprised and somewhat annoyed. She informed me that CVS had completely stopped selling cigarettes, and that the clerk was very rude and seemingly judgmental when declining her request.
Today, American pharmaceutical chains are beginning to take a concrete, infallible stand against smoking, starting with a company formerly known as CVS/Caremark Corp. Rebranded as CVS Health, the company demonstrates that a Surgeon General’s Warning is no longer enough. Earlier this year, we covered the CVS announcement that they would soon refuse to sell cigarettes to their customers. Now, the corporation has successfully removed these harmful products from the shelves three weeks early, ahead of their intended schedule. According to the New York Times, “As of midnight on Tuesday, all 7,700 CVS locations nationwide will no longer sell tobacco products, fulfilling a pledge the company made in February, as it seeks to reposition itself as a health care destination.”
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This groundbreaking change raises a lot of questions about the intentions behind the decision and the financial repercussions following the removal. Is the CEO of CVS, Larry Merlo, refusing to sell the products in order to illustrate a “broader health care commitment” or to moralize their commercial presence in comparison to competitors like Walgreens? In an article on Forbes.com, it is noted, “chief executive officer Larry Merlo said it would cost the company about $2 billion in annual sales, or about 3 percent of company revenues. Merlo said in an interview with Forbes that the loss of those sales continues and ‘will cycle through the next 12 months.’ He described the decision to stop selling tobacco as ‘one of those intangibles’ that helps the company win new business and make up for lost sales from cigarettes and related products.”
Despite the profit loss from no longer retailing cigarettes, Merlo asserts that his decision has gained the company a heightened level of respect in the healthcare community. Offering him a variety of new opportunities and partnerships in the industry, the company now boasts over forty affiliations. Merlo claims in an interview, “We’re at the forefront of what we all see as a changing healthcare landscape.” Hospitals and organizations like the American Medical Association are predicted to favor CVS over its competitors for taking the solid steps to legitimize their serious purpose of providing genuine healthcare to the public. There is no doubt that this pharmaceutical transformation is huge and will have a large impact on the widespread perception of smoking.
Alongside this change, a new turn is occurring in the media as well. Anti-smoking advertising has intensified efforts to cut out the habit completely, specifically by targeting the American youth. A lot of cigarette advertisements utilize the fear approach, but lately the PSAs are using a different strategy and getting the information to our population through more modern mediums. The new Truth ‘finishit’ campaign slogan, “We Can Be The Generation That Ends Smoking,” is one of the most inspiring yet. After seeing it about a week ago as a sponsored Spotify Ad and then again on TV, I recognized that the anti-smoking revolution is gaining momentum. The trendy advertisement features electronic music, alternative art, social media applications and statistical comparisons marking the technological changes that are rooted in our generation’s progress. By finding new and innovative ways to reach Americans, the prolonged lifespan of persistent body pollution may finally come to an end.
We cannot blame older generations for becoming addicted to cigarettes because they were not properly informed at the time, and really, they didn’t know the risks. But now they do. Thanks to the foresight and quality conversion of CVS, now is the time to (lovingly) pressure friends and family to quit. Last but not least, for individuals who believe that E-Cigs are a safe alternative, just remember the original misconceptions that health professionals had about the type of cigarettes that are confirmed as cancerous today. You are the guinea pigs, and being able to smoke in an office or restaurant isn’t worth the possible risks.
Take a step in the right direction and quit smoking today.
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