Two months after the federal regulators declared youth vaping an epidemic and demanded action from companies, e-cigarette maker Juul announced its decision Tuesday to pull…
Two months after the federal regulators declared youth vaping an epidemic and demanded action from companies, e-cigarette maker Juul announced its decision Tuesday to pull its flavored products from stores and remove its social media presence.
Juul Labs, one of the largest e-cigarette manufacturers, will halt sales of its mango, fruit, creme and cucumber flavored pods at more than 90,000 retail stores, and require additional age verification measures for online sales of the flavors, the company said.
The company said it will also delete its Facebook and Instagram accounts and halt promotional posts on Twitter. Juul also plans to continue working with social media platforms to combat third-party accounts appealing to youth vaping.
“Our intent was never to have youth use Juul products. But intent is not enough, the numbers are what matter, and the numbers tell us underage use of e-cigarette products is a problem. We must solve it,” Juul CEO Kevin Burns said in a statement.
The plan comes after the Food and Drug Administration in September gave Juul and other e-cigarette companies 60 days to submit “robust” plans to prevent youth vaping.
“Teenagers are becoming regular users, and the proportion of regular users is increasing,” Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in September. “We’re going to have to take action.”
More than 2 million middle school, high school and college students use the battery-powered devices to heat liquid-based nicotine into an inhalable vapor.
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Under Juul’s plan, the sale of tabacco, mint and menthol flavored products will continue in retail stores, and the company said it would bring its mango, fruit, creme and cucumber flavors back to stores in the future if retailers increase age-verification practices and limit product sales to prevent bulk purchases.
Contributing: Jayne O’Donnell
Follow Ryan Miller on Twitter @RyanW_Miller
