Walmart Stops Selling Vapes: Why Did Walmart Pull Vape Products?

Walmart, the U.S. retail giant, announced on the 20th that it will stop selling vaping products in its U.S. stores.

In a statement, Walmart said the decision applies to all Walmart Supercenters as well as Sam’s Club stores owned by the company.

The statement said restrictions on vaping products from federal, state, and local regulators have become increasingly complex, and uncertainty has continued to grow, so Walmart will discontinue sales after existing inventory is sold out.

On the 11th, U.S. President Donald Trump called vaping a “new problem” facing the nation, citing “multiple deaths and many other issues.” Government officials later said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was planning to ban the sale of flavored vaping products nationwide.

On the 19th, the Associated Press cited data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reporting that more than 500 people in the United States had confirmed or suspected respiratory illnesses linked to vaping product use. The report said that so far, 8 people had died from vaping-related lung illness, with the latest death reported a few days earlier in Missouri involving a patient in their 40s.