FDA Set to Order Juul E-Cigarettes Off U.S. Market

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to order Juul to remove its e-cigarette products from store shelves in the country.

Per the Wall Street Journal citing sources close to the matter, the FDA is set to announce the order as early as Wednesday, effectively banning Juul’s e-cigs being sold in the U.S. for the foreseeable future. The verdict comes around two years after the company applied to keep its products up for sale in the U.S., arguing they’re an overall plus to general public health by offering an alternative to smoking traditional tobacco products. The FDA previously banned the sale of fruity or sweet flavors for e-cigarette products.

As pointed out by Reuters, shares in tobacco company Altria Group Inc., which owns a 35 percent stake in Juul Labs Inc., were down 8 percent this morning. Juul products first hit the market in the mid to late 2010s, and became the most popular brand of e-cigarettes in the United States in 2017. 

In the past, the FDA has blamed Juul for an uptick in vaping among teenagers, who aren’t legally allowed to purchase Juul’s products. Last year, Juul agreed to pay the state of North Carolina $40 million to settle a lawsuit that alleged the company specifically targeted young people in its marketing campaigns. 

“For years Juul targeted young people, including teens, with highly addictive e-cigarettes,” said North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein. “It lit the spark and fanned the flames of a vaping epidemic among our children—one that you can see in any high school in North Carolina.”