Walmart Says No To Vaping, Will Not Sell E-Cigs Anymore
Walmart announced that they will stop selling e-cigarettes as the country has seen a number of deaths tied to vaping. Public officials are cracking down on the industry.
Television networks CBS, Viacom and CNN are also banning advertising of e-cigarette commercials.
Walmart in a press release stated:
"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 US locations," the company said in a statement. "We will complete our exit after selling through current inventory."
The vaping industry has experienced rapid growth. Euromonitor International, a research firm, estimated it will be worth 34 billion dollars globally by 2021, up 176% from 2016. Last year, Altria, America's preeminent cigarette company, took a 35% stake in e-cigarette maker Juul, worth $12.8 billion.