UP IN SMOKE

FDA Threatens to Ban Juul, Other Flavored E-Cigarettes

Companies have 60 days to submit plans to curb the “epidemic” of teen use.

The Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday that the agency is cracking down on teen vaping by targeting popular brands that make flavored e-cigarettes. The FDA ordered five companies—Juul, Vuse, MarkTen, blu e-cigs, and Logic—to submit plans to tackle underage use of their products within 60 days. Should any of these companies fail to meet the deadline, the federal agency is threatening to pull their products from the shelves. The last couple of years have seen a huge surge in teenage vaping, especially the Juul e-cigarette that has come under fire from schools, parents, and local governments alike. Critics have expressed concerns that flavored e-cigarettes attract younger users. The FDA also said it would send 1,100 warnings to retailers, including 7-Eleven and Walgreens stores, along with 131 fines for selling e-cigarettes to minors. “JUUL Labs will work proactively with F.D.A. in response to its request,” a Juul spokeswoman said in a statement. “We are committed to preventing underage use of our product, and we want to be part of the solution in keeping e-cigarettes out of the hands of young people.”