NYT: CVS Health resigns from U.S. Chamber over smoking concerns

CVS HEALTH Corp. said it is resigning from the U.S Chamber of Commerce over the chamber's position on anti-smoking laws.
CVS HEALTH Corp. said it is resigning from the U.S Chamber of Commerce over the chamber's position on anti-smoking laws.

WOONSOCKET – CVS Health Corp. said on Tuesday that it is resigning from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce because the chamber and its foreign affiliates were involved in a global campaign against antismoking laws, The New York Times reported.
“We were surprised to read recent press reports concerning the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s position on tobacco products outside the United States,” David R. Palombi, a senior vice president at CVS, said in a statement. “CVS Health’s purpose is to help people on their path to better health, and we fundamentally believe tobacco use is in direct conflict with this purpose.
“Given the leadership position we took last year in removing tobacco products from our stores, however, we have decided to withdraw our membership in the chamber,” he said.
The pharmacy chain stopped selling tobacco products at its stores last year. It also changed its name to CVS Health Corp. from CVS Caremark Corp. to position itself as an advocate of better health and wellness.
In response to CVS’ concerns, the chamber issued a statement: “To be clear, the chamber does not support smoking and wants people to quit. At the same time, we support protecting the intellectual property and trademarks of all legal products in all industries and oppose singling out certain industries for discriminatory treatment.”

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