Juul Products are Banned by the US FDA
Juul has received some bad news as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned its products in the US. The move comes as part of the FDA’s plans to increase the scrutiny around vaping.
The main thrust of the ban details that Juul has failed to provide sufficient evidence that their devices help people quit smoking. Additionally, the federal agency has suggested that:
To date, the FDA has not received clinical information to suggest an immediate hazard associated with the use of the JUUL device or JUULpods. However, the MDOs issued today reflect the FDA’s determination that there is insufficient evidence to assess the potential toxicological risks of using the JUUL products.
Juul has suggested they will appeal the ban.
Juul is one of the most popular US e-cigarette and e-liquid manufacturers. The San Francisco-based company spun off from vaporiser manufacturers Pax Labs in 2017. Altria (formerly known as the Philip Morris Company) owns a 35% state in the billion-dollar company.
Juul shot to fame over the last few years as the first company to use nicotine salts. However, they were on the receiving end of a lot of heat, in part, due to claims their marketing was too attractive to the youth.
Vaping is such an essential tool for tobacco harm reduction. It can dramatically reduce the number of illnesses and deaths around the world, so it is important that companies try and be whiter than white.
The FDA ban only affects Juul products sold in the US. While the UK vaping industry can’t afford to be complacent, our governments take a far more sensible approach to tobacco harm reduction.
Juul products will still be available in the UK. Although there is little doubt that sadly, due to this short-sighted decision, it may encourage some UK Juul users to return to smoking.
As for the suggestion that specific flavours are targeting teen vapers, I remain unconvinced. It’s not as if adults don’t enjoy flavours that contain mint or sugar. Last I checked, mojitos weren’t being blamed for teenage drinking.
The truth is that vaping has the ability to entirely replace the population in both the UK and the US that smoke. That means both helping those who quit smoking through vaping but also preventing those that would otherwise take up smoking from doing so.
The UK government, in keeping with the EU’s TPD regulations, ensures that UK vaping manufacturers adhere to these principles. If that’s the tightrope that businesses need to walk to provide a service that helps millions of people transition away from tobacco, then so be it.
As always, we need to stay vigilant and ensure that we protect our rights as vapers and ensure the public has access to the proper information. So get involved!