According to CNBC, Walmart released an internal memo on Friday announcing that it would end the sale of e-cigarettes at its stores.
The halt comes in the wake of several cases of vaping-related illnesses, some of them proving to be deadly. Health officials have been unable to determine the exact cause, though most of the patients have admitted to adding THC in vaping devices. Concern is also growing due to the lack of regulation in the industry, which has led to poor quality imports.
“Given the growing federal, state and local regulatory complexity and uncertainty regarding e-cigarettes, we plan to discontinue the sale of electronic nicotine delivery products at all Walmart and Sam’s Club U.S. locations,” the company said in a memo to local managers. “We will complete our exit after selling through current inventory.”
To combat what regulators are calling an “epidemic” of teen vaping, the Trump administration is in the process of creating a federal ban on flavored e-cigarettes.
