Amidst growing number of vaping deaths, Walmart will discontinue sales of e-cigarette products

Retail giant Walmart will stop selling electronic cigarettes in all its stores, including Sam’s Club stores.

In an internal memo verified by CBS News, Walmart stated that once its existing inventory of e cigarettes is sold out, it will no longer offer the products.

Anti-tobacco groups have urged the retailer to stop selling all tobacco products, and the recent spate of serious lung illnesses, including seven confirmed deaths, likely spurred Walmart to make the decision on e-cigarettes. Last summer, it raised the minimum age to buy any tobacco products in its stores to 21; however, it will continue to sell regular cigarettes and other tobacco products.

“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,” the Walmart memo said.

Yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revealed that it is conducting a criminal investigation in concert with a public health investigation by the Centers for Disease Control.

Walmart isn’t the first retailer to stop selling e-cigarettes, also known as vaping products. Rite Aid discontinued their sale earlier this year. Five years ago, CVS stopped selling all tobacco products.

In the U.S., New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an emergency order banning the sale of flavored e-cigarettes. Michigan banned them as well, and Washington, D.C. has introduced legislation to end their sale in the nation’s capital. The Trump administration says it will follow suit. Internationally, India’s government announced Sept. 18 that it would ban the sale, manufacture, import and advertising of e-cigarettes nationwide.

Data from a new survey of teen aged students reveals that more than 5 million middle and high-schoolers vape, about 1 in 5 students, and that 97 percent of teens prefer flavored products.

“Walmart has taken a responsible step given the worsening youth e-cigarette epidemic and the growing number of severe lung disease cases associated with e-cigarette use,” Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said in a statement.

“We urge them to make this policy permanent and to go further by ending sales of all tobacco products, including cigarettes,” Myers said.