Last month, CVS decided to wind down its cigarette sales as the drug chain focuses more on being a health company. Selling a consumer product responsible for nearly 500,000 American deaths each year goes against their moral code. While this may be financially terrible for CVS, it is fantastic for the public at large. It is also fantastic for E-Cigs, as they are gaining more and more popularity.
E-Cigs, short for electronic cigarettes, are those little rechargeable tubes that offer up “vapor” instead of toxin-filled smoke. Unlike traditional cigarettes, E-Cigs can be sold to virtually anyone, regardless of age, in most states. There are regulations of E-Cigs, as they cannot be used on many college campuses, or on airplanes or public transit in many areas. However, because of the low-toxins, they are a safer remedy to traditional cigarettes.
What is interesting is that many state Attorney Generals have called on drugstores to join CVS in dropping traditional cigarette sales – but they have yet to mention E-Cig sales. Perhaps the federal government has seen the light, and has come around to the idea that E-Cigs are not a fad, but that they are here to stay. They are not only safer to use (no fire or flame), but they are also better on the environment. There is no waste to toss out with an E-Cig, as there is with a traditional cigarette. E-Cigs are also more economical, as one cartridge can easily replace many packets of traditional cigarettes. E-Cigs also come in varying nicotine levels, from nicotine-free to levels as high as 16 mgs of nicotine. Many companies, such as BLU Cigs, offer flavored cartridges, such as Peach Schnapps, Java Jolt, and Pina Colada.
E-Cigs may have seemed like a fad, but they are here to stay. While CVS is stopping cigarette sales, they will still sell E-Cigs. This sends a message that they are not as harmful to the smoker as traditional E-Cigs. He even bigger message since many state Attorney Generals have begged drugstores to stop the sale of traditional cigarettes, but not E-Cigs. Only time will tell if E-Cigs are indeed safer, but for right now they may be a smoker’s, and investors, best bet.
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