FDA Targets Popular E-Cigarette Companies in Attempt to Reduce Teen Usage
The FDA intends to put a stop to teen vaping by combating the practices of E-cig companies
JUUL is among the most popular e-cigarette companies
To combat underage smoking of e-cigarettes, the FDA has given popular e-cigarette companies, such as JUUL Labs and Blu, sixty days to resolve this nationwide ‘epidemic’. They have also sent several warning letters and fines to retailers suspected of selling these products to minors.
In their report (1), the FDA cited the copious amounts of nicotine typically found in these products (one JUUL pod is equivalent to twenty packs of cigarette). It is altering the brains of the youth by making them more susceptible to addictions. This is detrimental to the public’s health, as it is getting teenagers hooked to something they would otherwise avoid. In the long term, vaping increases the risk of heart attacks and conventional cigarette smoking. When considering the intended purpose of e-cigarettes, to help chronic smokers quit their unhealthy habit, the FDA believes it can’t come at the expense of their children’s health.
If e-cigarette companies are unable to propose an adequate plan within the allotted time, the FDA threatens to halt their products from reaching the market. The FDA is also permitted to charge these companies if consumers are able to buy their products in grand proportions. Currently, the FDA is thoroughly investigating the marketing tactics employed by these e-cigarette companies.
The companies targeted by the FDA’s provisions are working exclusively with the federal agency to reduce the increasing sale of their products to minors. “JUUL Labs will work proactively with the FDA in response to its request. We are committed to preventing underage use of our products, and we want to be part of the solution in keeping e-cigarettes out of the hands of young people” JUUL spokesperson Victoria Davis told TIME. (2)
It begs the question on how these titans of industry intend to stop this growing issue.
Sources:
(1)”FDA Takes New Steps to Address Epidemic of Youth E-cigarette Use, Including a Historic Action Against More Than 1,300 Retailers and 5 Major Manufactures for their Roles Perpetuating Youth Access,” FDA, September 12, 2018
(2)”FDA Is Considering Pulling Some Flavored E-Cigarettes From the Market to Fight ‘Epidemic’ of Youth Vaping” Jamie Ducharme, Time Magazine, September 12, 2018.
