NEWS
JUUL Labs
takes action
The company has restricted
access to flavours in a bid to
curb teen use
By Gordon Stribling
Leading US pod system manufacturer JUUL has responded to
the FDA’s claims of a teen vaping epidemic by restricting access
to ‘kid-friendly’ flavours.
Only tobacco, mint and menthol will be available in US convenience
stores and vape shops as a result.
Adult vapers will still be able to access the full flavour range via an
age-verification system on the company’s website.
The action was announced 60 days after the FDA wrote to JUUL
and Big Tobacco companies demanding they take action to prevent
schoolchildren from getting access to their products.
In a statement on JUUL Labs’ website, CEO Kevin Burns said:
“Our flavours are effective tools to help adult smokers switch from
combustible cigarettes, and we do not sell flavors like Gummy
Bear or Cotton Candy, which are clearly targeted to kids.
“However, we are sensitive to the concern articulated by Commissioner
Gottlieb that “flavours play an important role in driving the youth
appeal,” and understand that products that appeal to adults also
may appeal to youth.
Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is trying to maintain a delicate balancing
act between encouraging adults to switch from tobacco to e-cigarettes
and ensuring that teenagers do not get their hands on devices and
develop an addiction to nicotine.
Dr Gottlieb said:
“I’ve said all along, if we migrate every adult smoker completely
onto an e-cigarette will have a profound public health impact.
“This can not come at the expense of addicting a whole generation
of kids on nicotine through these e-cigarettes and that’s what
we’re seeing.”
The FDA is primarily focused on cracking down on pod systems
in convenience stores, with Gottlieb noting that kids are far less
likely to use open systems.
He added:
“The open tank vaping systems are by and large used by adults,
they’re sold in adult-only vaping stores of which I believe there are
around 10,000 in this country. It’s the cartridge-based systems that
are sold in convenience stores that are getting into the hands of
the kids.”
The company has also asked Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and
Snapchat to help police unauthorised content that promotes
e-cigarette use among underage users. Almost 35,000 posts and
marketplace listings plus 743 social media accounts have been
removed since January 2018.
24 | VM20
“We are sensitive to the
concern articulated by
Commissioner Gottlieb
that flavours play an
important role in driving
the youth appeal”