FDA announces enforcement actions and new youth tobacco prevention plan related to JUUL and other e-cigarettes

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., announced several enforcement actions as part of a new Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan to stop youth use of – and access to – JUUL and other e-cigarettes.

FDA understands that many kids are using e-cigarettes with a particular set of characteristics: an appearance that closely resembles a USB flash drive, high levels of nicotine, and emissions that are hard to see. These characteristics may facilitate youth use by making the products more attractive to children and teens. Several of these products fall under the JUUL brand, but other brands with similar characteristics are emerging.

As part of the Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan to stop youth use of tobacco products – particularly e-cigarettes – the FDA is announcing several new actions and efforts, including:

• Issuing warning letters to 40 retailers for violations related to youth sales of JUUL e-cigarettes;
• Conducting a large-scale, undercover nationwide blitz of retail establishments;
• Sending an official request for information to JUUL Labs requiring the company to submit important documents to better understand the reportedly high rates of youth use and the particular youth appeal of these products; and
• Taking steps to foreclose online sales of JUUL to minors.

As part of the FDA’s responsibility to protect kids and significantly reduce tobacco-related disease and death, these are the first steps in a new effort aimed at stopping youth use of e-cigarettes.