The once very popular vaping brand, Juul, has been ordered by the F.D.A. to stop selling its e-cigarette products.
On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration ordered Juul to stop selling e-cigarettes in the U.S. This is a huge blow to this very popular vaping company which was once blamed for the teenage vaping crisis.
Their vaping cartridges and different-flavored pods gave an alternative to nicotine products gaining the attention of teens and young adults. Juul’s initial success brought attention from anti-smoking groups, fearing for the health and wellness of young people, stating that vaping would do more harm than good to the smokers who are trying to quit.
The New York Times reports that though the rates of teenage vaping have gone down since the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, public health officials and lawmakers are still concerned about the additives nicotine being appealing to young people due to the ease of e-cigarettes and their fruity flavors.
Though young people vaping has become a public health concern, that wasn’t the reason why the F.D.A. has ordered a stop to Juul’s e-cigarettes. The agency explained that there was conflicting data from the company about potentially harmful chemicals that could leach out of the e-liquid pods. Though there wasn’t an imminent health threat, the FDA decided that the potential risk was enough to pull the plug on Juul.
In a statement from the F.D.A.’s commissioner, Dr. Robert M. Calliff said, “Today’s action is further progress on the F.D.A.’s commitment to ensuring that all e-cigarette and electronic nicotine delivery system products currently being marketed to consumers meet our public health standards.”
This comes after the F.D.A. announced plans to decrease nicotine levels in traditional cigarettes to dissuade the use of one of the deadliest consumer products. In April, the F.D.A. also said they would move toward a ban on menthol-flavored cigarettes. It appears the F.D.A. will continue in their crack-down against harmful nicotine-infused products on the market
Juul said it disagreed with the F.D.A.’s findings and will seek an appeal in order to keep its products on the market.
“We intend to seek a stay,” Juul’s statement said, “and are exploring all of our options under the F.D.A.’s regulations and the law, including appealing the decision and engaging with our regulator.”
