FDA’s Authorization of Juul Is a Big Step Backward for Preventing Youth E-Cigarette Use
Statement of Yolonda C. Richardson, President and CEO, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The FDA’s decision to authorize the sale of Juul e-cigarettes, including menthol-flavored products, risks a reversal of recent progress in reducing youth e-cigarette use. Largely because of Juul, e-cigarette use among high school students skyrocketed from 11.7% in 2017 to 27.5% in 2019, leading the U.S. Surgeon General to declare youth e-cigarette use an epidemic.
It is a big step in the wrong direction to authorize sales of the product that was responsible for this public health crisis in the first place. There is no question that this crisis was driven by Juul’s sleek, easy-to-hide products, which were sold in enticing flavors, including menthol, were marketed in ways that appeal to kids and delivered massive doses of nicotine that can quickly addict kids.
This is why Juul is having to pay over $1.1 billion in settlements of lawsuits brought by states and other parties. And despite recent declines in youth e-cigarette use, Juul products remain popular among youth. According to the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey, Juul remained in the top five most popular e-cigarette brands among U.S. youth, including 12.6% of current middle and high school e-cigarette users. Juul was the third most popular e-cigarette brand among middle school e-cigarette users.
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