Juul halts sale of flavored products nationwide pending FDA review

Gabrielle Fonrouge

October 17, 2019

New York Post

E-cigarette behemoth Juul stopped selling all fruity flavored products nationwide on Thursday, amid a burgeoning vaping health crisis that’s claimed dozens of lives and left thousands sickened,  the company announced.

As of 12:55 p.m., users were no longer able to purchase vape pods that taste like mango and fruit — along with  flavors such as creme brulee and cucumber. Vapers will only be able to buy products that taste like tobacco, menthol and mint, the San Francisco-based company said.

“We must reset the vapor category by earning the trust of society and working cooperatively with regulators, policymakers, and stakeholders to combat underage use while providing an alternative to adult smokers,” Juul’s new CEO K.C. Crosthwaite said in a statement.

The ban on sales will span at least until the Food and Drug Administration completes a safety review of the products, Juul said.

The agency said last month it plans to pull all flavored vapes off store shelves so the products can undergo a more rigorous testing process.

Juul said it is yanking products in anticipation of the government’s review, which could last a few months or more than a year, administration sources previously told The Post.

The decision to suspend flavored sales comes amid a nationwide vaping crisis that’s claimed at least 26 lives and injured nearly 1,300 others as of Oct. 8, CDC data shows.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said the main culprit behind the illnesses are black market THC vapes, but crisis has brought renewed focus to the issue of children smoking flavored e-cigarettes.

Critics have slammed Juul and other e-cigarette companies for their flavored products, claiming they’re designed for children and have left a new generation of  kids addicted to nicotine.

In response to criticism, Juul halted distribution of its flavored vapes to brick and mortar retailers nationwide in November 2018,  and only sold them on their age-restricted website.

“We will continue to develop scientific evidence to support the use of these flavored products, coupled with strict measures to combat underage use, as we believe these products can play an important role in helping adult smokers move away from combustible cigarettes,” the company said Thursday.

The CDC said a small number of lung illnesses have been reported by patients who claim to have only used nicotine vapes so it’s too early to completely rule out nicotine e-cigarettes as a cause of the illnesses.

For now, they’re warning smokers to “not use” vapes containing THC and to “consider refraining” from nicotine-only vapes while they suss out what exactly is behind the illnesses.