CVS Pharmacy has been on the front page of the health section of every major newspaper since the company announced recently its decision to stop carrying tobacco products in stores.

The retail prescription giant, which operates over 7,600 stores nationwide, has committed to removing cigarettes from shelves by Oct. 1. Apparently the financial impact will translate into $1.5 billion to $2 billion in lost revenue.

But CVS says the decision is about patients and healthcare. The CVS website announces "by removing tobacco products from our retail shelves, we will better serve our patients, clients and healthcare providers while positioning CVS Caremark for future growth as a healthcare company."

As a pharmacist who has spent the vast majority of his career in the retail space, I must admit I have surprisingly mixed feelings about this move.

On the one hand I’m hopeful that the message CVS sends out might convince some consumers to once again consider quitting. If CVS is willing to sacrifice $2 billion in revenue (which, by the way, is less than 2 percent of their total annual sales) then maybe folks will reconsider just how seriously unhealthy the smoking habit is.

Smoking kills. It is responsible for 1 in 5 deaths in the U.S., 30 percent of all cancers and 87 percent of lung cancers, according to the American Cancer Society. CVS wants a new image, and plans to complement this ban on tobacco by offering a new array of quitting resources in the spring.

On the other hand, I'll confess that I view this recent development with a slightly skeptical smirk. I can’t judge their motives. I can tell you what I see.

And when a company claims to be taking the high ground, and calls upon others to follow its moral lead, it cannot help but expect some of us to share a few comments and ask a few questions.

For example: Why now? We've known since 1964 about the link between smoking and cancer. What has happened that suddenly made cancer and CVS incompatible? It seems strange to me.

It makes one wonder if the whole thing is nothing but a $2 billion advertising campaign. If so, it appears to be well-played, since the move has generated more media attention (and articles like this one) than any Super Bowl commercial or celebrity endorsement could do.

And why the eight-month delay? The official press release came out on Feb. 5, 2014. The date to stop selling will be Oct. 1. Is that so they have time to sell the remaining stock? If they truly believe the product is poisoning their image, I would have expected an almost immediate withdrawal.

Can you imagine if an OTC item was found to cause cancer and a retailer responded by saying, "OK, that's it! We’ll stop selling it 10 months from now." Put this in the "things that make you go hmm" category.

And what about the working conditions for their pharmacists and technicians? If you want to truly set yourself apart for "healthcare delivery," why not invest in hiring more staff so that the pharmacists actually have time to talk to patients about their medication?

Understaffing and squeezing the payroll so tightly it pops has been the hallmark of chain drug stores lately. This practice leads to dangerous errors in the pharmacy, which CVS (and many other national chains for that matter) are no stranger to.

Don't misunderstand me. I have no bone to pick with CVS and know many fine pharmacists who work for the organization. I'm not a bitter ex-employee (I've never worked for CVS) trying to take some free shots. But I've been around long enough to know when something smells funny.

I truly hope more people will choose to quit their tobacco habits, and I hope that CVS isn't just blowing smoke.