The Power of One

Letter to CVS . . . . . . Thursday, June 12, 2014 Dear Mr. Merlo: RE: For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith. 1 John 5:4 First and foremost when I heard and read that CVS Caremark will no longer sell tobacco products in their stores, I said “Praise the Lord, we got the victory once again!” I never thought when I wrote to you and others on June 23, 2011, three years later, your company would have made such a bold and powerful change in its operations. (See attached.) I know by now people consider this old news, but for me on the anniversary of my mother’s death (June 14, 2005), I thought about how we still have a battle in America to save our youth against the enemy of so many Americans . . . tobacco. Needless to say, we all know the facts about tobacco. Unfortunately, cigarette smoking still tops the list as the most preventable cause of death in the United States today, accounting for 480,000 deaths annually. It attributed at least $289 billion in annual costs from smoking, including $150 billion for loss productivity and $130 billion in medical care. Cigarette smoking is addictive because of the nicotine which is a colorless, poisonous1 chemical, derived from the tobacco plant. It kills slowly but surely. I saw with my mother and with several other people, especially the ones who stopped smoking for many years, but in the end, it was smoking tobacco which took a toll on their life. The tobacco industry does not see this. They do not see a person who at one time was a normal size person, able to walk and talk and live life as a normal human being until the toll of tobacco wreak havoc on their bodies. They become vegetables. They are now skin and bones. They have to eat and breathe through a tube especially the ones who are hospitalized. When you first start going to the hospital they are holding on. Then they begin to dwindle away. They become skin and bones and you do everything you can to keep them comfortable. No one knows how a product could destroy the life of someone, until they see it for themselves. You cry out to God, “have mercy” because you know they have come to the end of life’s journey. You remember all the good times you spent with them, and even in that small window of time, you both laugh and reminisce about “once upon a time, do you remember when . . .” Mr. Merlo, it took the power of one to decide to remove this product from CVS Caremark’s 7,600 stores by October 1, 2014. You have taken a stand to help save the lives of Americans. It’s one thing to say we are on the corner of “happy and healthy” when in essence one is no more concerned about their customers’ health, but the Return on Investment to their investors. Even though your decision to stop selling tobacco products is no big deal to Big Tobacco, just imagine, if all the other companies who sell this product would take a stand for America and help keep Americans healthy, how truly blessed America will be in our health, productivity, corporate and personal budgets. As we come to a turning point in our fight against the health care costs to Americans, we still believe there should be a Tobacco Accountability Act for Americans where the tobacco industry should be held accountable to the very people their product has addicted and afflicted. This is the only way the government, states and companies can keep their health care costs down for Americans with tobacco-related illnesses with the passing of The Tobacco Accountability Act for Americans this year. Otherwise, these health care costs will exacerbate the government, states, company’s budgets and families. We still believe that one day soon our Elected Representatives will take a stand for Americans with tobacco related illnesses and pass The Tobacco Accountability Act for Americans” with its stated purpose, “The tobacco industry will be held accountable for the tobacco-related illnesses and will provide early screening, a health insurance benefits program and/or premium assistance for every smoker (man, woman, boy or girl) afflicted with a tobacco-related illnesses, as well as, provide long term care benefits assistance for all tobacco related illnesses. They will subsidize all educational programs from elementary to college on the harmful effects of their products through smoking firsthand or secondhand smoke.” Otherwise, we are doing a disservice to the sanctity of life and allowing the tobacco industry to continue to manipulate the truth about its product. We are kidding ourselves when we do not address the magnitude of this habit and the health care costs to every entity (i.e., families, businesses, States and government). This is the only product on the market that when it is used as intended destroys a life and families. It kills. As we continue to wrestle with every aspect of this health care reform in America some will ask, what does “The Tobacco Accountability Act for Americans” have to do with this? Everything! The cost factors to keep Americans with pre-existing tobacco-related illnesses will bankrupt any health care reform initiative without the tobacco industry subsidy. Everyone knows this. They have targeted customers, some in bondage for life in America. There is one young lady who has smoked Kool 100’s for 44 years. She started at the age of 13, not knowing she was going to be addicted to this product. “She smokes 21 cigarettes, a pack a day and sometimes 2. She says, “She smokes because it’s a relief from what you have to deal with. I am relaxing.” Of course her Doctor has told her, she must stop smoking. He has diagnosed her with Bronchitis and she has to breathe through a machine.. I am just a voice in the wilderness praying that we will finally address the real cause of our health care costs in America and its pending crisis and finally pass The Tobacco Accountability Act for Americans. Mr. Merlo, thank you for taking a stand for Americans and allowing me to share this with you. . God bless you. For the Glory of God, Valerie Foy Email: speakingthetruth@yahoo.com www.tobaccoaccounabilityact.blogspot.com/ www.webspawner/user.com/taa2010/index.html. A seed for America. cc: Mr. C. Douglas McMillion, CEO Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Mr. Gregory Wasson, CEO Walgreen Co. Mr. John T. Standley, CEO Rite Aid Corporation