(20 Sep 2019) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus123903
Walmart said Friday that it will stop selling electronic cigarettes at its namesake stores and Sam’s Clubs following a string of mysterious illnesses and deaths related to vaping.
The nation’s largest retailer, based in Bentonville, Arkansas, said that it will complete its exit from e-cigarettes after selling through its current inventory.
The move is due to “growing federal, state and local regulatory complexity” regarding vaping products, the company said in a statement.
President Donald Trump has proposed a federal ban on flavored e-cigarettes and vaping products.
Michigan banned the sale of flavored e-cigarettes this week. A few local governments, including San Francisco, have passed bans on flavored tobacco.
More than 500 people have been diagnosed with breathing illnesses after using e-cigarettes and other vaping devices, according to U.S. health officials. An eighth death was reported this week. But health officials still have not identified the cause.
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