Business & Tech

Illinois Urges Major Retailers to Pull Tobacco from Shelves

U.S. attorneys general say a company that provides health care services shouldn't also sell tobacco products.

A month after CVS Caremark pharmacy corporation vowed to stop selling tobacco products by Oct. 1, 28 U.S. attorneys general are calling on others to do the same. 

The group is urging major retailers to yank tobacco products from shelves, calling it contradictory to offer the items in stores that also provide health care services.

Chief executive officers of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Kroger Co., Safeway Inc., Walgreens Co. and Rite Aid Corp. received a letter from the attorneys general Sunday, Reuters reports. 

“Pharmacies and drug stores, which increasingly market themselves as a source for community health care, send a mixed message by continuing to sell deadly tobacco products,” New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement on Monday.

Other states and territories represented in the group included Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Puerto Rico and Guam. 

Subscribe to a free daily email newsletter


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here