Pulling Flavored E-Cigs Hurt Sales in a ‘Very Meaningful’ Way, Juul Founders Say

Juul founders Adam Bowen and James Monsees, who were named to the 2019 TIME 100 list, called vaping’s potential for helping adult smokers ditch combustible cigarettes “one of the greatest opportunities for public health in the history of mankind” at the TIME 100 Gala on Tuesday. Juul has dominated the e-cigarette market with its sleek devices, which deliver nicotine without many of the harmful, cancer-causing substances in combustible cigarettes. But while the devices are designed to give adult smokers an alternative to cigarettes, Juul and other brands have developed a massive following among teenagers — despite laws that prohibit anyone younger than 18 from buying them. Widespread use by teenagers, which has been called an “epidemic” by top public-health officials, has prompted concerns about nicotine addiction among young people. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March introduced proposed regulations meant to significantly restrict the sale of many flavored e-cigarettes, which are thought to be especially appealing to young people. A few months before that proposal was officially announced, Juul elected to stop selling many of its flavored e-cigarettes in stores and shut down its U.S. Facebook and Instagram accounts, which have been criticized for appealing to teenagers. Monsees said removing many flavored products from retail stores has had a “very meaningful and definitely measurable impact on [sales],” but decline...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized onetime public health T100 2019 TIME 100 Source Type: news