F.D.A. cracks down on JUUL vaping devices
Back in October and September, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) combined to limit the number of nicotine salt-based vaping devices, specifically JUUL Labs, on the market.
This was done in order to attempt to combat the rise in popularity in using these devices among youth. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., said in a statement from the FDA, that there needs to be a better regulatory process on in this aspect of the market.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
“We need a regulatory process that requires product applications to show that the marketing of the product is appropriate for the protection of the health of the overall population,” Gottlieb said. “And we need a regulatory process that keeps these same electronic cigarette products out of the hands of youth.
These devices were able to become an epidemic due to the lack of evaluation of net health impact by the FDA before they receive marketing authorization.
“Such products may still pose health risks, including possibly releasing some chemicals at higher levels than conventional cigarettes,” Gottlieb said. “And these potential risks require closer scrutiny.”
On Oct. 2nd, Sens. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) wrote to the FDA asking it to ban e-cigarette flavorings that could be enticing to youth.
“While it remains unclear whether e-cigarettes can actually help adults quit smoking cigarettes, it is abundantly clear that tobacco companies are developing and marketing e-cigarette flavors that appeal to, and addict, children,” the senators said.
From April to June, the FDA sent out around 1,300 warning letters and civil money penalties to retailers who illegally sold JUUL and other e-cigarette products to minors during a sting of in-person and online stores over the summer.
The CDC corroborated this statement in a report published by JAMA, where the organization outlined the importance of the danger of these products in regards to youth.
From 2016-2017, JUUL Labs’ sales increased about 641 percent – 2.2 million in 2016 to 16.2 million in 2017. By December of 2017, JUUL Labs products’ sales comprised 1 in 3 of every e-cigarette sold in the nation.
However, the CDC said that specifically targeting JUUL has allowed other compatible products and similar devices to also infiltrate the market.
“JUUL comes in a variety of flavors, including mango and creme, and also uses nicotine salts, which can allow high levels of nicotine to be inhaled more easily and with less irritation,” the CDC said. “Other manufacturers have recently started making look-alike e-cigarette products.”
Truth Initiative, a non-profit public health organization, surveyed 1,000 12- to 17-year-olds to find out how the youth are acquiring these JUUL devices.
Cities, like Kent, OH, have further implemented strategy to combat youth nicotine and tobacco use. In the past year, the city of Kent, released a new initiative entitled Tobacco 21, which requires all retailers of tobacco, electronic cigarettes and nicotine products to only sell those products to people aged 21 and over.
A survey by the city of Kent showed that 76 percent of residents support Tobacco 21.
Former Kent State Student and Kent resident, Garrett Swartzentruber, is an avid vape-user, but believes there is a problem with vaping among the youth.
“I feel like it’s understandable because it is hitting a lot of youth below smoking age,” Swartzentruber said. “But it’s everyone’s right to do what they want with their own body.”
