Want to buy some cigarettes while waiting on your prescription at CVS? Well guess what? You will have to go somewhere else to buy your Marlboros or Newports as well as other tobacco products. CVS will not be selling any tobacco products as of October first this year. This makes CVS the first chain of stores to take tobacco products off the shelves. This is something that will probably have a negative effect on its revenue.

CVS might as well be the Monopoly pharmacy of the United States simply because of it total prescription revenue, according to the company. It operates more than 7,600 VS/pharmacy stores nationwide, it also has about 800 MinuteClinics, which are medical stations within locations of the pharmacy.

Larry J. Merlo, president and CEO of CVS Caremark said in a statement, “ending the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products at CVS/Pharmacy is the right thing for us to do for our customers and our company to help people on their path to better health.” Their main focus is on the health of their customers and to that Mr. Merlo said, “Put simply, the sale of tobacco products is inconsistent with our purpose.” To this the president applauded and admired CVS/Pharmacy, in a statement he said “As one of the largest retailers and pharmacies in America, CVS Caremark sets a powerful example, and today’s decision will help advance my administration’s efforts to reduce tobacco-related deaths, cancer and heart disease, as well as bring down health care costs—ultimately saving lives and protecting untold numbers of families from pain and heartbreak for years to come.” The president, as well as other health oriented organizations see the importance of this big step CVS Caremark has taken.

According to the CVS Caremark website, smoking is the leading cause of premature disease and death in the U.S. with about 480,000 deaths annually. Even though the percentage of smoking adults dropped from 42 percent to 18 percent since 1965, there is still work to be done. There are ways to prevent smoking and that is why CVS Caremark is launching a program this spring. This program is going to provide customers with ways to cease their anxiety to smoke. This program is expected to include information and treatment on smoking at store locations and MinuteClinics. According to CVS Caremark seven in ten smokers say they want to quit and half actually attempt to quit each year.

CVS feels like it is their responsibility to provide health to its customers. Helena B. Foulkes, President, CVS/Pharmacy commented, “Every day, all across the country, customers and patients place their trust in our 26,000 pharmacists and nurse practitioners to serve their health care needs.”

CVS/Pharmacy will lose about 2 billion in revenues on an annual basis because it will not be selling tobacco, dropping shares of about 17 cents.

Not selling tobacco products also means no e-cigarettes, the new sensation that everyone has been carrying and has become very popular among teenagers of age. When senior Katherine Montoya heard about CVS not selling more tobacco products by October 1, 2014 she said “ they’re easily available at any corner store. Plus, what’s so wrong with smoking? Of course it’s wrong but people used to do it when they were our age.” Since the program that CVS/Pharmacy is launching includes selling things like Nicotine gum, and the E-cigarettes have come to the public, Mrs. Valentine said, “the addiction, they do not break the addiction (nicotine) the tar does, people smoke because of its social aspects.”