Vaping
company
Juul
Labs
on
Friday
received
federal
permission
to
sell
an
updated
version
of
its
e-cigarette,
which
includes
an
optional
age-verification
system
designed
to
prevent
underage
use.
The
FDA
decision
allows
the
company
to
sell
a
new
version
of
its
top-selling
vaping
device
for
the
first
time
since
it
launched
more
than
a
decade
ago.
In
recent
years,
the
company
has
had
to
lay
off
hundreds
of
employees
while
paying
roughly
$3
billion
to
settle
government
and
private
lawsuits
over
teen
use
of
its
products.
Last
year,
after
a
review
of
its
products,
the
FDA
allowed
Juul
to
keep
its
e-cigarettes
on
the
market.
Juul
plans
to
market
the
new
device
under
the
brand
name
Juul2,
along
with
updated
versions
of
its
tobacco-
and
menthol-flavored
cartridges.
In
2019,
the
company
discontinued
several
flavors,
including
mango,
mint,
and
creme,
that
drove
most
of
its
sales
but
were
favored
by
teens.
In
a
statement
Friday,
Juul
CEO
K.C.
Croswaite
said
the
company
plans
to
market
its
new
system
with
“a
portfolio
of
flavors
—
beyond
tobacco
and
menthol
—
that
are
targeted
to
adult
nicotine
consumers.”
The
new
device
also
gives
users
the
option
to
require
age
verification
via
an
online
app
before
the
e-cigarette
can
be
unlocked.
The
latest
announcement
is
not
an
approval
or
endorsement,
and
people
who
do
not
smoke
should
not
use
Juul
or
any
other
e-cigarettes,
according
to
regulators.
The
FDA
determination
indicates
that
smokers
who
switch
completely
to
Juul
can
reduce
their
exposure
to
deadly
carcinogens
and
other
chemicals
found
in
traditional
cigarettes.
According
to
company
studies
reviewed
by
the
FDA,
between
20%
to
50%
of
smokers
who
used
Juul
products
were
able
to
stop
smoking
at
the
end
of
6
weeks.
The
rates
of
quitting
varied
based
on
the
flavors
and
nicotine
strengths
used.
The
FDA
has
authorized
a
handful
of
e-cigarettes
to
help
adult
smokers
quit
or
cut
back
on
cigarettes.
In
May,
the
FDA
approved
the
first
fruit-flavored
e-cigarettes
intended
for
adult
smokers.
The
approval
represented
a
major
policy
shift
and
came
after
months
of
appeals
to
President
Donald
Trump
from
the
vaping
industry.
Juul
is
no
longer
the
top-selling
e-cigarette
brand
in
the
U.S.
and
trails
Vuse,
which
is
sold
by
tobacco
giant
Reynolds
American.
Reynolds
also
makes
Camel
and
Newport
cigarettes.
Teens
have
shifted
away
from
Juul
as
part
of
a
wider
drop
in
vaping,
according
to
federal
figures.
Teens
who
continue
to
vape
mostly
use
unauthorized
disposable
e-cigarettes
imported
from
China,
which
come
in
fruit
and
candy
flavors.
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