Tobacco and menthol-flavored electronic vaping cigarettes are on display at a store in El Segundo, California, on June 23rd. PATRICK T. FALON / AFP / Getty Images
The US Food and Drug Administration blocked Juul Labs Inc. on Thursday. to sell its e-cigarettes in the United States.
After nearly two years of reviewing the scientific and public health data provided by the company, the FDA said the applications “lack sufficient evidence” to show that the sale of the products would be appropriate for public health.
What are Juul e-cigarettes?
Juul is a popular brand of vaporizers, also called electronic cigarettes. The devices have a tank that contains a liquid solution, which according to Health Canada most often contains nicotine and is flavored.
The devices use energy from the battery to heat the solution, which leads to evaporation. The vapor then condenses into an aerosol, which is inhaled by the user through the mouthpiece. The devices are available in many shapes, colors and sizes, with most Juul products looking like small USB devices.
Why is Juul banned?
In the US, Juul and other e-cigarette brands had to meet the September 2020 deadline to submit applications to the FDA showing that the products provided a net benefit to public health. The FDA had to assess whether each product was effective in making smokers quit and, if so, whether the benefits to smokers outweighed the potential harm to the health of new e-cigarette users – including teenagers – who had never smoked.
“The agency has allocated significant resources to product review by companies that make up the majority of the US market. We acknowledge that … many have played a disproportionate role in the growth of young vaping, “FDA Commissioner Robert Calif said in a statement.
The use of e-cigarettes by teenagers increased with the growing popularity of Juul in 2017 and 2018. Its use among high school students increased to 27.5% in 2019 from 11.7% in 2017, but dropped to 11, 3% in 2021 a federal survey showed.
Juul did not provide evidence to show that the products met its standards, and this raised “substantial questions,” the FDA said, but added that it had not yet received clinical information suggesting an immediate hazard related to the device or the pods.
What are the current rules in Canada for e-cigarettes?
A report from the Public Health Agency of Canada states that before May 2018, Canada had a highly restrictive regulatory framework for e-cigarettes: nicotine-containing vaping products cannot be sold or placed on the market without prior approval. However, from May of the same year, the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (TVPA) allowed the sale of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, as well as greater advertising and promotion. The e-cigarette market has undergone rapid change since the introduction of TVPA, including the introduction of major international brands such as Juul and Vype / Vuse.
Canada currently restricts how vaping products are sold, to whom they are sold, and how much nicotine can be allowed in the products.
Vaping products may not be sold or given to anyone under the age of 18, and vaping products that are liked by young people with certain tastes suitable for young people are not allowed to be sold. In June 2021, Canada announced plans to limit flavors such as ice cream, cookie dough and candy in vaping products, limiting flavors to tobacco, mint and menthol. These provisions have not yet entered into force.
In July 2021, the Regulation on the concentration of nicotine in vaping products sets a maximum nicotine concentration of 20 mg / ml for vaping products sold in Canada, and prohibits the packaging and sale of vaping products if the nicotine concentration indicated on the packaging , exceeds this amount. This change was in line with the provisions of British Columbia and the European Union. By comparison, a cigarette contains an average of 10 mg of nicotine.
Is burning harmful?
Health Canada says vaping can increase exposure to chemicals that can harm your health and expose you to addictive nicotine. Nicotine does not cause cancer, but evaporation with nicotine can be addictive and “cause nicotine addiction among users who would not otherwise start using nicotine.” Nicotine can affect memory and concentration and is known to alter the brain development of teenagers by reducing impulse control and contributing to cognitive and behavioral problems.
Evaporation can also lead to nicotine and popcorn lung poisoning from the chemical diacetyl, which is used to flavor butter in food and vaping products.
Why is vaping so appealing to teens?
A 2019 Globe and Mail investigation found that companies advertising vaping products targeted teens with lifestyle or child-friendly tastes and received help from influential people on social media and viral marketing.
Today, public health groups in the United States welcomed the decision to ban the sale of Juul products after warning that e-cigarettes are attracting a new generation of teenagers to nicotine after big strides in reducing cigarette use among young people.
According to a survey of Canadian students on tobacco, alcohol and drugs for 2018-2019, the prevalence of vaping among students has doubled since 2016-17. Twenty percent of students have used an e-cigarette (with or without nicotine) in the previous 30 days , which is 10 percent more than in 2016-17.
What does the FDA’s decision mean for Juul’s shares?
Shares of Altria Group (MO-N), which holds a 35 percent stake in Juul, fell 9 percent on Wednesday. The decline came after a report stating that the FDA was ready to order Juul to withdraw its steam products from the market. TipRanks’ Marty Strubel said Juul could appeal the decision, but in any case the products would be removed from the shelves immediately. Juul claims almost 26% of the market share of the money and is second only to BAT’s Vuse products.
With Reuters reports
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