Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

A Call For Pharmacy Chains To Stop Selling Tobacco Products

New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and a number of other attorneys general around the U.S. are hoping to pressure major pharmacy chains to stop selling tobacco products.

Schneiderman and his counterpart in Ohio, Mike DeWine, have co-authored a letter signed by 26 other attorneys general calling on several chains to follow the lead of CVS , which recently said it would be removing tobacco products from its shelves.

Schneiderman says notes that tobacco-related disease is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.

"We know the dangers of tobacco use, we have all the the data and statistics about how many deaths it causes, how much suffering it causes for smokers and those who are affected by secondhand smoke alike. "

The letter was sent to the CEOs of Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Safeway and Kroger.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.