Walmart to halt sales of e-cigarettes

Walmart will stop selling all e-cigarettes as lawmakers continue looking for ways to crack down on the nicotine products.

The e-cigarette or vaping industry has come under fire from Ohio and federal lawmakers in recent months as more teens pick up the pods and e-liquids and form nicotine addiction. Recently, vaping has been linked to severe pulmonary illnesses.

Walmart said in an internal note viewed by CNBC that it will no longer sell the e-cigarettes.

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“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.”

E-cigarettes have become a major industry in the state employing thousands. Advocates say the nicotine delivery systems help adults quit smoking cigarettes. They say its a healthier option because the e-liquids do not contain cancer-causing tobacco.

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