The Food and Drug Administration has approved the continued sale and marketing of Juul Labs’ vaping products that contain nicotine, the company announced on Thursday. File Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA
Officials with the Food and Drug Administration have approved the continued sales of tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes and refill cartridges by Juul Labs.
The FDA approved the sale and marketing of the Juul System, Juul Labs announced on Thursday.
The FDA in 2022 banned Juul from selling its products due to a lack of scientific evidence regarding their potential health effects.
“As part of our 2020 applications, we submitted over 110 scientific studies to the FDA covering non-clinical, clinical and behavioral science,” Juul Labs said in a news release.
“Following rigorous evaluation of the data, [the] FDA decided that a [marketing granted order] for the Juul System was ‘appropriate for the protection of public health’ — the standard required by statute for authorization,” the online announcement says.
Juul’s e-cigarettes and pods contain nicotine but meet the standard required to legally market tobacco products in the United States, NBC News reported.
The marketing authorization does not indicate the products are safe for use, but it does enable Juul to market its vaping products to adult smokers, many of whom switch to Juul’s products.
Juul markets its products as an alternative to cigarettes and other smoking products that contain tobacco, but Juul products contain potentially harmful nicotine.
After reviewing scientific studies submitted by Juul, the FDA reversed its ban to allow Juul to resume selling and marketing its products to adults age 21 and older.
Officials with the American Lung Association criticized the FDA’s reversal on the matter.
“The American Lung Association is deeply troubled that the FDA will permit Juul to remain on the market in the U.S. and is especially concerned to learn that Juul’s menthol flavor will continue being sold,” the ALA said in a prepared statement.
“These products have never met the Tobacco Control Act’s public health standard,” the ALA said. “Today’s decision risks further harm to youth.”
The ALA says Juul uses flavored products containing high levels of nicotine and marketing that targets young people, which “hooked a generation of kids on tobacco.”
ALA officials want the FDA to reconsider its decision and for state and local governments to ban the sale of all flavored tobacco products.
