Letter to the Editor: Pharmacies, tobacco don't mix

Dear editor,

When drug stores sell cigarettes, they legitimize their use. In April 2014, physicians in the Missouri State Medical Association sent a clear message: Those businesses in Missouri that wish to promote the goal of better health should recognize that selling tobacco products contradicts that commitment.

To that end, MSMA applauds the effort by CVS Health to eliminate sales of cigarettes and other tobacco products by Oct. 1. This is especially important because the sale of tobacco products is ethically conflicted with pharmacies providing care and medication to treat hypertension, hyper-lipidemia, heart and lung issues, and diabetes – all conditions exacerbated by smoking.

The American Medical Association also joined with MSMA to congratulate CVS for its voluntary action to stop selling tobacco products. And just this past June, the AMA called for stricter e-cigarette regulation, namely that these products be subject to the same regulations and oversight the U.S. Food and Drug Administration applies to tobacco and nicotine products.

Almost half-a-million people die annually in the United States as a result of smoking. Recent estimates show enormous costs to society: $132 billion in direct medical costs and $157 billion in lost productivity.

While increases in tobacco taxation, legislation to create smoke-free public areas and support for smoking cessation has substantially reduced the prevalence of cigarette smoking, pharmacies are the only health care facilities that continue to make tobacco products available in the same setting where diseases are being diagnosed and treated.  

In 2010, the American Pharmacists Association urged pharmacies to discontinue sales of tobacco products and urged state pharmacy boards to discontinue issuing and renewing licenses of pharmacies that sell these products. More efforts are building: The Affordable Care Act provides for employers to charge smokers higher rates for health insurance, and there is a growing trend for companies refusing to hire smokers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched its largest anti-smoking campaign to date. Calls for banning tobacco sales in pharmacies also have come from the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society and the American Lung Association. Even the World Health Organization code of practice for health professionals prohibits the sale or promotion of cigarettes.

The removal of tobacco products from the shelves of retailers sends a clear message to tobacco users about the dangers. Most importantly, it models a behavior to children that selling tobacco is inappropriate in a facility that purports to encourage good health. Those who wish to promote the goal of better health should recognize the fact that selling tobacco products contradicts that goal.

—Dr. Jim Blaine, a family practitioner in Springfield and a member of the Public Affairs Commission of the Missouri State Medical Association