(WAND) – Kroger and Walgreens have joined a list of retailers who decided to stop selling e-cigarettes.
A statement from Kroger to CNBC said the company is stopping sales due “to the mounting questions and increasingly-complex regulatory environment”. Walgreens said its decision came “as the CDC, FDA and other health officials continue to examine the issue” and added that the call is “reflective of developing regulations in a growing number of states and municipalities”.
A total of 1,080 confirmed and probable cases of vaping-related illnesses have now been reported in every state outside of Alaska and New Hampshire, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Oct. 3. There are 21 vaping-related illness deaths in the U.S. as of Oct. 7, including one in Illinois.
Michigan and New York have both banned the sales of flavored e-cigarettes. President Donald Trump’s administration has announced it plans to stop the sale of e-cigarette flavorings nationally, and First Lady Melania Trump on Monday called for companies to stop marketing e-cigarettes to minors.
Walmart named “regulatory complexity” as the reason for why it will no longer sell e-cigarettes at Walmart and Sam’s Club locations. Rite Aid said in April its e-cigarette sales will also stop.
Tobacco products will continue to be soles at Kroger and Walgreens locations, both companies told CNBC.
