Walmart to stop selling electronic cigarettes at its stores

ANNE D'INNOCENZIO/Associated Press

FILE - In this Aug. 28, 2019, file photo, a man exhales while smoking an e-cigarette in Portland, Maine. Walmart says it will stop selling electronic cigarettes at its namesake stores and Sam's Clubs following a string of illnesses and deaths related to vaping. The nation's largest retailer said Friday, Sept. 20 that it will complete its exit from e-cigarettes after selling through current inventory. It cited growing federal, state and local regulatory complexity regarding vaping products. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart says it will stop selling electronic cigarettes at its namesake stores and Sam's Clubs following a string illnesses and deaths related to vaping.

The nation's largest retailer said Friday that it will complete its exit from e-cigarettes after selling through current inventory. It cited growing federal, state and local regulatory complexity regarding vaping products.

More than 500 people have been diagnosed with vaping-related breathing illnesses. An eight death was reported this week. But health officials still have not identified the cause.