BREAKING: The FDA announces all JUUL e-cigarette products, including menthol-flavored e-cigarettes, must be pulled from shelves across the U.S.
E-cigarettes have been touted as a “safer” version of tobacco products. This may be true in regards to lung toxin exposure but many of the same and even new risks remain. Nicotine, the main active ingredient increases risk of cardiovascular events including heart attack and stroke, similar to traditional cigarettes. Thus, making e-cigarettes just as addictive as traditional ones.
In addition, e-cigarettes are not the best tool for tobacco cessation, essentially tobacco users are replacing one evil with one slightly less toxic one. Most concerning is the use among teenagers and young adults. E-cigarettes, especially flavored products, have attracted a population that may have never used tobacco products if e-cigarettes did not exist.
Public health is paramount when regulating tobacco products—especially a product proven to be driving the country’s youth e-cigarette epidemic. 83% of youth e-cigarette users say they use flavored products like JUUL. In 2020, 1.3 million kids were frequent or daily users of e-cigarettes.
ACS CAN commends the FDA for this decision and for doing the right thing to protect public health, especially for our kids. We urge the agency to enforce this decision swiftly and we remain committed to working with Congress, state, and local lawmakers to end the sale of all flavored tobacco products.
