FDA threatens to pull e-cigs if marketing to teens continues

The FDA could move to snuff out Juul and other e-cigarettes as makers keep courting teens.

Agency head Scott Gottlieb demanded that producers of vaping devices stop targeting young users or having their products pulled from shelves. ] “If the youth use continues to rise and we see significant increases in 2019, on top of the dramatic rise in 2018, the entire category will face and existential threat,” the commissioner customs a hearing in Silver Spring, Md. on Friday, The Hill reported.

He took aim at Juul, the top-selling e-cig among high school and middle school kids, and noted that age group rose dramatically last year while traditional tobacco smoking declined. 1[ads1]9659002] Vaping went up 78 percent among high schoolers and 48 percent for middle school students, he said.

Most states, those under 18 are not allowed to buy any tobacco product, including e-cigarettes. Ted Kwong told The Hill that the company was committed to limiting sales to young customers.

"Underage use of JUUL and any other vaping products is completely unacceptable to us," he said.