For the Washington Post, it is “the agency’s most dramatic action in years, during which the FDA has worked to crack down on youth vaping.”
On Thursday, June 23, the US Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a trade ban for Juul brand electronic cigarettes. Thus, these products should no longer be sold, and products already present in stores should be removed.
The FDA justified its choice by saying that the Juul brand had no “provided sufficient evidence to assess the potential toxic risks associated with the use of its products”.
“The FDA’s decision on Juul is a blow to a company whose popularity soared after its 2015 launch of a vaping device – resembling a USB flash drive – and nicotine pods with flavors such as crème brûlée, mango and cucumber”, recalls the American daily.
Products which, according to some, had become far too popular among adolescents, and which therefore encouraged smoking among the youngest.
In 2020, the FDA had already banned the sale of sweet and fruity pods (products that Juul had already stopped marketing) by giving the American company a two-year reprieve for tobacco and menthol pods, in order to assess them.
According to Juul, these two tastes are not particularly popular among young people. They would therefore not encourage smoking among minors and, on the contrary, would help adults to quit smoking. But this defensive argument ultimately did not convince the FDA, which also banned these products on June 23.
Reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes
This is not surprising given the agency’s latest tough decisions on smoking. Indeed, recall in conclusion the Washington Post :
“Two days ago, the agency said it planned to develop a rule requiring tobacco companies to reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes sold in the United States to minimal or non-addictive levels. An effort that could have an unprecedented effect in reducing smoking-related deaths.”