Just days after reports that the Food and Drug Administration is planning to propose further restrictions on the sale of e-cigarettes, the maker of Juul announced Tuesday it is taking steps to curtail the use of its flavored products by teens.
Juul Labs announced it will stop selling its flavored pods at more than 90,000 retail stores nationwide, including convenience stores and specialty vape shops. The company is also shutting down some of its social media accounts, which are popular with young people.
In a statement, Juul CEO Kevin Burns said the company and the FDA "share a common goal – preventing youth from initiating on nicotine."
"We don't want anyone who doesn't smoke, or already use nicotine, to use Juul products. We certainly don't want youth using the product," he said. "It is bad for public health, and it is bad for our mission."
The FDA plans to require strict limits on the sale of most flavored e-cigarettes, including age verification controls for online sales.
The new policy will apply to flavored cartridge-style vaping products like Juul, not the open tank-style systems sold in vape shops and mostly used by adults, officials said.
No retail outlets will be allowed to carry them unless it restricts minors from entering the store or creates an off-limits area.
Since 2017, FDA officials had discussed e-cigarettes as a potential tool to wean adult smokers off cigarettes, but in September the FDA reversed course and warned the industry to address the problem of surging teenage e-cigarette use or risk having their flavored products pulled off the market.
(The Associated Press)
JUUL Labs’ priority is to decrease youth use, while still serving the adult smoker community. Today, we announced our action plan to combat underage use: https://t.co/TGHY0j1pok pic.twitter.com/45dheVD5Fj
— JUUL (@JUULvapor) November 13, 2018
