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 The move follows announcements by Kroger Co and Walgreens Boots
Alliance Inc this week that they would stop selling e-cigarettes at
their stores, in line with a similar decision by Walmart.
Alibaba said it already had a long-standing policy in place to not
sell complete e-cigarette products in the United States.
Vaping products have been linked to a mysterious lung illness that
is reported to have led to 18 deaths as of last week, with the
number of confirmed and probable cases of the condition exceeding
1,000, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd said that listings for products such as
box mods, vape pens, herbal vapors, heat not burn devices, and empty
pod cartridges would not be displayed for users located in the
United States.
While Juul Labs Inc dominates the North American market for pod
e-cigarettes, many reports of death and injury in the United States
have been tied to makeshift brands with no identifiable owner.
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The most prominent, Dank Vapes, was linked to 24 patients with lung
illness, according to a study from the New England Journal of
Medicine. The products contained THC, the psychoactive ingredient in
marijuana.
Prior to the suspension, buyers could easily purchase devices,
component parts and packaging from sites like Alibaba or Amazon to
make their own counterfeit vaping devices.
Amazon.com Inc took down vape paraphernalia in September, although
it did not specify the exact products it removed.
(Reporting by Josh Horwitz in Shanghai; Editing by Miyoung Kim and
Richard Pullin)
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