FDA Reverses Marketing Ban on Juul Vaping Products

 

Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reversed its marketing ban on Juul Labs, one of the country's top e-cigarette companies. When the FDA issued the ban in 2022, officials cited the role played by Juul in increasing tobacco use among youth. Critics accused Juul of using colorful packaging and a variety of flavors, along with a sleek design resembling a USB flash drive, to market vaping products with high concentrations of nicotine to children and teens.

All e-cigarette products are required to have FDA authorization to be legally marketed. At the time of the ban, the FDA stated that Juul's applications did not include "sufficient evidence" to show marketing of the products met public health standards required by law. It also noted potentially harmful chemicals leaching from e-liquid pods. 

In the recent June 6 statement, officials explained "recission of the marketing denial order is not an authorization or a denial and does not indicate whether the applications are likely to be authorized or denied. Applications will be returned to pending status under further review by the FDA." The statement can be viewed at:  https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/ctp-newsroom/update-fdas-scientific-review-juul-product-applications

Reaction to reversal of the Juul vaping products ban hasn't been favorable. The American Lung Association said it was "deeply troubled" and urged the FDA to deny Juul products stating they "do not meet the standard for protecting public health" citing their role in the "youth e-cigarette epidemic from 2017-2019."

The 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey released in November found that tobacco use decreased among high school students and rose among middle schoolers. E-cigarettes remained the most popular product among youth for the 10th straight year. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), e-cigarette use among high school students declined from 14.1% to 10.0% from 2022 to 2023. Among middle school and high school students who currently use e-cigarettes, 25.2% used e-cigarettes daily and 89.4% used flavored e-cigarettes.

Bottom line: Research shows that use of tobacco products in any form by youth is dangerous, highly addictive, and harmful to health and brain development. Avoiding cigarettes and their electronic alternatives is always the healthiest choice. Learn the facts about e-cigarettes, vaping, and other nicotine-laced products. Visit the American Lung Association to view their Vaping Conversation Guide that provides a great framework to begin discussions with your children: https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/helping-teens-quit/talk-about-vaping