PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) made a sweeping move against a popular e-cigarette company on Thursday, ordering them to pull their vapes from the U.S. market.
The FDA said Juul must stop selling its vaping device and its tobacco and menthol-flavored cartridges. Those already on the market must be removed.
Vape shops retailers told KOIN 6 it is a fluid situation, and they’re scrambling to figure out what they’re supposed to do with thousands of dollars worth of Juul products.
However, the FDA said consumers aren’t restricted from having or using Juul’s products. Local retailers like Plaid Pantry say the ban from the agency was surprising.
“So it represents a couple of percentage points of our business. So it’s not a huge hit. And people will probably migrate to other products because there are other products available. But yeah, there’ll be some disappointed customers who like that product and won’t be able to get it,” said Plaid Pantry CEO Jonathan Polonsky.
To stay on the market, companies must show their e-cigarettes benefit public health. They are required to prove that adult smokers who use them are likely to quit or reduce their smoking, while also showing that teens are unlikely to get hooked on them.
The FDA said Juul may have played a “disproportionate” role in hooking teens on vaping.