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| 1 | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to commend | ||||||
| 3 | CVS Caremark on its decision to stop selling tobacco products | ||||||
| 4 | in its stores; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, CVS Caremark has decided to stop selling tobacco | ||||||
| 6 | products at its more than 7,600 stores across the United States | ||||||
| 7 | by October 1, 2014, making it the first national pharmacy chain | ||||||
| 8 | to take this step in support of the health and well-being of | ||||||
| 9 | its patients and customers; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, Decades of tobacco control efforts have greatly | ||||||
| 11 | reduced the prevalence of cigarette smoking, but the rate of | ||||||
| 12 | reduction in smoking prevalence has stalled in recent years; 42 | ||||||
| 13 | million people continue to smoke; and | ||||||
| 14 | WHEREAS, The impact of tobacco on our nation's children is | ||||||
| 15 | striking - 90% of adult smokers began at or before age 18 and | ||||||
| 16 | an estimated 5,600,000 kids alive today will die prematurely as | ||||||
| 17 | a result of tobacco-related disease unless current trends are | ||||||
| 18 | reversed; and | ||||||
| 19 | WHEREAS, Studies have demonstrated a relationship between | ||||||
| 20 | tobacco use and geographic density of stores that sell | ||||||
| 21 | cigarettes; reducing the density of stores that sell tobacco | ||||||
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| 1 | can help reduce smoking among young people; and | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, CVS Caremark's decision to cease tobacco sales | ||||||
| 3 | underscores its role in the United States' evolving healthcare | ||||||
| 4 | system; pharmacies are becoming more involved in chronic | ||||||
| 5 | disease management to help those with high blood pressure, high | ||||||
| 6 | cholesterol, and diabetes - all conditions that are exacerbated | ||||||
| 7 | by smoking; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, Smoking is the leading cause of premature disease | ||||||
| 9 | and death in the United States, killing more than 480,000 | ||||||
| 10 | Americans and costing the nation an estimated $289,000,000,000 | ||||||
| 11 | in medical costs and lost productivity annually; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, CVS Caremark has also pledged to help millions of | ||||||
| 13 | Americans quit smoking; this spring the company will launch a | ||||||
| 14 | national smoking cessation program with the goal of helping | ||||||
| 15 | millions of Americans quit smoking and get healthy; therefore, | ||||||
| 16 | be it
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| 17 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL | ||||||
| 18 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | ||||||
| 19 | CONCURRING HEREIN, that we encourage pharmacies throughout the | ||||||
| 20 | State to stop selling tobacco products in their stores; and be | ||||||
| 21 | it further
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| 1 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 2 | presented to CVS Caremark as an expression of our gratitude.
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