Walmart Issues E-Cigarette Ban in US 

Walmart has issued e-cigarette ban in the US. The decision, said America’s biggest retailer, came due to the news of the rules governing e-cigarettes.

Last week, US President Trump announced the plans of the government to ban flavoured e-cigarettes.

As per The Associated Press, Walmart had announced its plans to cease the sale of fruit and desert-flavoured e-cigarettes. The retailer also raised the minimum age to buy tobacco to 21.

In a memo to the local managers, the company said, “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 firm is set to exit after the sale of the existing stock.

Prior to this announcement, there were reports that six people died due to some lung disease tied to vaping. Since that time the number has risen to eight. As per the reports from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention that came out on Thursday, as much as 530 cases of lung injury that could have e-cigarette use as a plausible reason have been found.

Many people are requesting Food and Drug Administration to pay special attention to the industry. Disappointed by the silence of the federal government, multiple companies have taken appropriate actions on their own. To name some, Viacom, CBS and WarnerMedia have participated in the e-cigarette ban by refraining from running advertisements.

Earlier in June, San Francisco also put the e-cigarette ban. However, the decision taken by Walmart sets it apart as the ban is on all kinds of cigarettes, not just flavoured ones.

The overall impact of this withdrawal will be such that the possible growth market of manufacturers will stop.

In August 2018, the country housing an e-cigarette industry of its own, China, banned sale of e-cigarettes to people below 18 years. 

E-cigarette ban has been used as the electronic nicotine based killers come in many flavours that release vapours to be inhaled. Many people in countries like the UK, promote them as a safer alternative to smoking.

Speaking of the impact of e-cigarette ban, many manufacturers of the industry have raised questions about Trump’s reaction, commenting that the ban will encourage people to smoke traditional cigarettes again.

Gregory Conley, President of American Vaping Association, said in a statement that such prohibitions never work. He added, “It didn’t work with alcohol. It hasn’t worked with marijuana. It won’t work with e-cigarettes.”