美国连锁药店CVS停止销售香烟

 　　美国连锁药店CVS停止销售香烟

　　WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- CVS Caremark, the second largest drugstore chain in the U.S., announced Wednesday it will stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products in its more than 7, 600 stores nationwide, a decision U.S. President Barack Obama immediately hailed as "a powerful example" and having "a profoundly positive impact on the health" of the country.

　　CVS said in a statement it will phase out all tobacco products by Oct. 1, making the company the first U.S. drugstore chain to remove cigarettes from its shelves.

　　"Ending the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products at CVS/ pharmacy¹ is the right thing for us to do for our customers and our company to help people on their path to better health," said Larry Merlo, president and CEO of CVS Caremark. "Put simply, the sale of tobacco products is inconsistent with our purpose."

　　President Obama, a former smoker², immediately applauded the company for its efforts to help make the country's next generation tobacco-free.

　　"As one of the largest retailers⁴ and pharmacies⁵ 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 untold⁶ numbers of families from pain and heartbreak for years to come," Obama said in a statement.

　　"I congratulate -- and thank -- the CEO of CVS Caremark, Larry Merlo, the board of directors, and all who helped make a choice that will have a profoundly positive impact on the health of our country," he said.

　　While the prevalence of smoking in the U.S. has decreased from approximately 42 percent of adults in 1965 to 18 percent today, smoking is still the leading cause of premature⁷ disease and death in the country with nearly 500,000 deaths annually⁸.

　　On Wednesday morning, two researchers argued in a viewpoint published online by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that pharmacies cannot credibly⁹ promote health while contributing to tobacco-related illness and death through the sale of cigarettes, so now is the time for pharmacies to eliminate the sales of tobacco products.

　　The researchers acknowledged that CVS's decision may not lead many people to stop smoking because smokers¹⁰ will probably simply go elsewhere to buy cigarettes.

　　"But if other retailers follow this lead, tobacco products will become much more difficult to obtain. Moreover, if people understand that retail³ outlets¹¹ that plan to promote health, provide pharmacy services, and house retail clinics are no longer going to sell tobacco products, the social unacceptability of tobacco use will be substantially reinforced," they wrote.

　　Last month, a report released by the U.S. government significantly expanded the list of illnesses caused by smoking, calling for "increased and sustained action" to reduce tobacco use.

　　The report stressed that evidence has linked smoking to diseases of nearly all organs of the body and that smoking costs more than 289 billion U.S. dollars a year in direct medical care and other economic costs.

1 pharmacy   

n.药房，药剂学，制药业，配药业，一批备用药品

参考例句：

• She works at the pharmacy.她在药房工作。
• Modern pharmacy has solved the problem of sleeplessness.现代制药学已经解决了失眠问题。

2 smoker   

n.吸烟者，吸烟车厢，吸烟室

参考例句：

• His wife dislikes him to be a smoker.他妻子不喜欢他当烟民。
• He is a moderate smoker.他是一个有节制的烟民。

3 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

4 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

5 pharmacies   

药店

参考例句：

• Still, 32 percent of the pharmacies filled the prescriptions. 但仍然有32%的药剂师配发了这两张药方。 来自互联网
• Chinese herbal pharmacies, and traditional massage therapists in the Vancouver telephone book. 中药店，和传统的按摩师在温哥华的电话簿里。 来自互联网

6 untold   

adj.数不清的，无数的

参考例句：

• She has done untold damage to our chances.她给我们的机遇造成了不可估量的损害。
• They suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort.他们遭受着黑暗中的难以言传的种种恐怖，因而只好挤在一堆互相壮胆。

7 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

8 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

9 credibly   

ad.可信地；可靠地

参考例句：

• I am credibly informed that. 由可靠方面听说。
• An effective management software ensures network to run credibly. 一个高效的网管软件是网络运行的可靠保证。

10 smokers   

吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily. 许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
• Chain smokers don't care about the dangers of smoking. 烟鬼似乎不在乎吸烟带来的种种危害。

11 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》