“Juul is putting kids at risk of nicotine addiction and threatens to undermine decades of progress in reducing youth tobacco use,” the health groups wrote to the FDA.
Six leading public health and medical organizations urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to take strong and immediate action to address the dramatic rise in teen use of Juul electronic cigarettes, which has been widely reported by media and educators across the United States.
The groups that sent a letter to the FDA are the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Truth Initiative, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association and American Lung Association. Several members of Congress are also calling on the FDA to take action on Juul as well.
Introduced in 2015, Juul looks like a flash drive and can be charged on the USB port of a computer, comes in sweet flavors including mango and fruit medley, and delivers a strong dose of nicotine. The manufacturer, Juul Labs, claims that each Juul cartridge of nicotine liquid (called a "Juul pod") contains as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes.“The FDA is responsible for regulating tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, and it unacceptable that the FDA has yet to take action to address the skyrocketing youth use of Juul.”
The Southwestern Regional Tobacco Coalition is a multi-county effort created to address the diverse issue of tobacco use in the southwestern health district of Pennsylvania.