the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Jan 6, 2025
All around the U.S., pharmacies are closing. Small, independent, mom-and-pop pharmacies are shutting down. And the major chains—Rite-Aid, Walgreens, CVS—they’re closing stores too.
Walgreens announced plans to close a quarter of its 8200 stores in October. Rite-Aid has closed 400 of its 2100 stores, since it entered bankruptcy a year ago, and it plans to close 400 more. Rite-Aid closed its last pharmacy in Michigan in September and has almost completely shut down in Ohio as well.
Pharmacies, like everything else in capitalist society, are set up to generate profits for the capitalist class. That means places where people have less money—working class cities, Black and Latino neighborhoods, rural areas—are the first to lose their pharmacies.
A doctor’s appointment can be very difficult to set up. Many working people and retirees see their pharmacist much more often than their doctor. But this healthcare system, driven by its thirst for profit, steadily removes that possibility—that is, the possibility to get any healthcare at all—for millions.