CVS Smoked

From the BBC:
"CVS Caremark pharmacies to halt tobacco sales"

CVS Caremark, one of the largest pharmacy chains in the US, will stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products, its chief executive has said. The announcement drew swift praise from President Barack Obama, who said the move would save lives. The 7,600 CVS shops in the US will have tobacco products off the shelves by 1 October, CEO Larry Merlo said. The move will cost the company about $2bn (£1.22bn) in annual revenue but is "the right thing to do", he said. Mr Merlo said CVS Caremark, which employs 26,000 pharmacists and nurse practitioners, would be the first national pharmacy chain to take this action. He said the company's employees worked every day to help patients manage chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, which he said were aggravated by tobacco use. And he said the company would launch a smoking cessation programme in the spring, aimed at those who want to quit tobacco. Years of tightening restrictions on where smokers are allowed to light up, as well as effective public anti-tobacco campaigns and prohibitively high tobacco taxes have dramatically reduced the percentage of Americans who smoke.

^ The only thing this move will do is help CVS loose $2 billion a year. I know the dangers of smoking (and I don't personally smoke) but I don't think it is right for governments (Federal, state or local) to impose any limits on smoking as long as cigarettes are legal in the country. Of course CVS doesn't fall under this category as it is  private business and it can do what it wants. I'm talking about the smoking bans in bars, restaurants, airports, etc that openly discriminate against smokers. There is an easy way to let non-smokers not have to inhale the smoke while still letting smokers smoke inside and comfortably and yet governments around the country and the world continue to impose their discriminatory laws. ^

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-26051519