Juul Labs announced on Tuesday it would no longer sell flavors such as mango, cucumber, creme brulee, or fruit at retail stores in order to curb teenage use of its products after scrutiny from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to Reuters.
The move comes as the FDA has been considering even more regulation for the growing industry, especially due to the high increase in use among high school students who can use the small device to vaporize flavored liquids containing nicotine.
Juul Chief Executive Kevin Burns released a statement which said the company still wants to be "the off-ramp" for adult smokers, "not an on-ramp for America's youth to initiate on nicotine."
Juul said it would no longer sell flavors in retail stores except for tobacco, mint, and menthol, which includes convenience stores and vape shops.
The company said it would resume the sales in the physical stores after retailers install technology which scan buyers' IDs to independently verify they are aged 21 or older.
But until then some of their most popular flavors will only be available on Juul's website, that uses an age verification system where customers have to enter their social security number, address, and birth date to verify they are old enough to buy the nicotine products.
Juul also said it would be shutting down its social media pages on Instagram and Facebook and work with the companies to remove "unauthorized, youth-oriented content on their platforms."
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on Twitter that “voluntary action is no substitute for regulatory steps FDA will soon take,” but said the company's actions should be a sign for other e-cigarette makers to also take steps to reduce minors using their products.
Critics said Juul's advertising campaigns on social media and YouTube included predominantly young, attractive people using the product which became a unique phenomenon online as many users tagged themselves using the product at school.
“Juuling” has become synonymous with high schoolers and vaping across the United States.
The FDA threatened to ban Juul and other e-cigarette products earlier this fall unless the companies took steps to prevent use by minors, giving them 60 days to submit plans that would help curb underage use.
The agency is also expected to announce further restrictions on the e-cigarette industry, which one senior official could include plans to only allow sales of menthol, mint, and tobacco flavors in convenience stores and gas stations.
Juul also announced beginning in 2017 it required all models in its advertisements to be older than 35 and also started using only former cigarette smokers in ads to highlight the benefits of the product.
-WN.com, Maureen Foody
Photo:
AP / Steven Senne
