Kroger to stop sales of e-cigarettes at stores

Kroger Co. will stop selling e-cigarettes at its stores and fuel centers, the company announced Monday.

The supermarket chain said in a statement that it will end its sale of the products after it clears its current inventory.

{mosads}”Kroger is discontinuing the sale of electronic nicotine delivery products, or e-cigarettes, at all store and fuel center locations due to the mounting questions and increasingly-complex regulatory environment associated with these products,” the statement read. 

The grocery chain joins Walmart and Rite Aid in halting the sale of e-cigarettes as concerns mount over the health effects from e-cigarettes and the increasing number of teenage users. The stores, along with Walgreens, offer tobacco to consumers over the age of 21.  

Kroger has not returned a request from The Hill asking if the chain will continue to sell traditional cigarettes. 

New York and Michigan have banned flavored e-cigarettes with the goal of reducing underage vaping. 

The Trump administration has also taken aim at the e-cigarette industry, announcing a planned ban on flavored e-cigarettes last month. First lady Melania Trump urged e-cigarette companies to stop marketing their products to teenagers.

So far, 18 deaths have been reported from a mysterious lung illness that has been connected to e-cigarettes.