Having Juul products banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be a big blow to vapers. The FDA ban on Juul products is part of the agency’s increased scrutiny of the vaping industry that has mostly been unregulated for years.
Why did the FDA ban Juul products?
The company has been blamed for setting fire to a vaping crisis after the Silicon-Valley start-up popularized e-cigarettes on an unprecedented scale. Having Juul products banned shows the FDA’s decision to tighten legislation around the nicotine industry. The agency has banned all Juul vaping products from the US market and has asked them to stop making and selling these products.
In a written statement, FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf stated, “Today’s action is further progress on the FDA’s commitment to ensuring that all e-cigarette and electronic nicotine delivery system products currently being marketed to consumers meet our public health standards.” He added, “The agency has dedicated significant resources to review products from the companies that account for most of the U.S. market. We recognize these make up a significant part of the available products and many have played a disproportionate role in the rise in youth vaping.”
Although the popularity of vaping products waned with the pandemic, health experts and lawmakers have expressed concern about the addictive nature of these products and pushed for better regulation. Brands with different flavors, especially fruity ones like Puff Bar, are in demand with youngsters. In 2020, the FDA had banned the sale of mint- and fruit-flavored vaping products that were favored by teenagers.
As the FDA bans Juul products, lawmakers have applauded the agency’s decision to monitor the effect of addictive nicotine in inhalable products that can cause severe illnesses and even deaths over a period of time. On June 21, the agency announced that it will move to slash the level of nicotine in traditional cigarettes as it endangers public health. In April, they also revealed that they plan to ban menthol flavored cigarettes in the near future.
Juul Vaping Products
The Juul products banned include those the Juul device and four types of Juul products — Virginia tobacco flavored pods at nicotine concentrations of 5.0% and 3.0% and menthol flavored pods at nicotine concentrations of 5.0% and 3.0%.
The device is a Juul e-cigarette which is designed to look like a USB key and can be recharged using the USB port. It has a battery system and comes with a pre-filled nicotine cartridge that functions as the mouthpiece, which is called the Juul pod.
The FDA ban on Juul vaping products will be taken as a sign of things to come and will face fierce resistance from the powerful tobacco industry and lobby. The Juul products banned will have a significant impact on the company’s revenue, as the order affects all their merchandise. The San Francisco-based e-cigarette company stated that it does not agree with the FDA and will appeal the ban as they submitted relevant documents about the toxicology of the Juul products banned over two years ago.
Joe Murillo, Chief regulatory officer at Juul stated the company’s intentions. “We intend to seek a stay and are exploring all of our options under the FDA’s regulations and the law, including appealing the decision and engaging with our regulator. We remain committed to doing all in our power to continue serving the millions of American adult smokers who have successfully used our products to transition away from combustible cigarettes, which remain available on market shelves nationwide.”
The FDA is attempting to walk a thin line as it tries to regulate traditional cigarettes and other vaping products that can harm health, while still letting people have a say in how they smoke.
