Juul Labs Inc. (Juul), an electronic cigarette company is instantly halting the retailing of its fruit-flavored e-cigarettes. This issue came from a policy that’s being drafted by the Trump Administration with the aid of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This policy covers the dangers of vaping or the use of e-cigarettes. It refers to different factors, which included an epidemic of a lethal lung disease that’s linked to vaping, and the other dangers of vaping among teens.
Among the young people who use e-cigarettes, mint & menthol is their second-best flavor, next to fruit flavors. These data came from the 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the analysts from Wells Fargo, flavors (which include mint & menthol) embodies 80% of Juul’s $3.3 billion sales in the past.
Unpleasant speculations about the company sprouted everywhere, as the rise in the sales of Juul’s merchandise continued. Many blamed the company for particularly creating a vaping epidemic, especially to youngsters. The government contemplated removing all flavored e-cigarettes in the market. With that, the FDA has been conducting reviews since.
The FDA has been watching Juul since last year, which compelled them to stop selling flavored e-cigarettes in physical retail stores. The only flavors available are mango, crème, cucumber, and fruit. They can only be purchased online, with a few restrictions.
The Trump administration officials wanted all fruit-flavored pods, which include mint and menthol, removed from the market. They only wanted tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes left. The purpose is to dissuade young people from trying them. Another is to provide an alternative for adult smokers. Until they finalize the policy, Juul continued to sell mint & menthol nicotine pods at the moment.
Juul’s sales record in the past years were very successful. The rise in their sales also came to the rise of middle school and high school students who uses e-cigarettes. This situation explains why the government blames them. The company has been trying to change its image then.
The Altria Group invested $12.8 billion in Juul late last year. They have had changes with regard to their management and personnel as they handle the company’s image problem with the government. As a sign of commitment to change, Juul tried to halt the sales of most of its flavors. But their decision to continue selling mint & menthol flavors were not well received by critics.