NBC News
The manufacturer Juul Labs will have allowed to continue selling its electronic cigarettes and recharge cartridges by decision of the Food and Medicines Administration (FDA).
According to an announcement on the Juul website, the FDA determined that its electronic cigarettes and its capsules – which come in flavors of tobacco and mint – are “appropriate for the protection of public health”.
Thursday’s authorization marks the expected conclusion of a review of several years of the FDA that placed the products in a regulatory limbo.
A spokesman for the agency said the authorization does not mean that the products are safe or “approved by the FDA”, but that Juul has provided evidence that shows that their electronic cigarettes comply with legal regulations to market new tobacco products in the United States.
The spokesman added that the risks and benefits should be considered for the American population as a whole, including the benefits for adults who are currently smoke. Juul presented solid data that shows that high adult indices change cigarettes for their mint or tobacco products.
“It is good news for the millions of Americans who still smoke cigarettes,” said Juul Labs in a statement.
The company has positioned its products as an alternative to traditional cigarettes, which contain tobacco. Juul electronic cigarettes do not contain tobacco. However, they do have nicotine, the active ingredient of tobacco, which can create addiction.
The chemical substances of electronic cigarettes have also been linked to lung and cardiac diseases.
In 2022, the FDA ordered Juul to stop selling its electronic cigarettes, claiming the lack of necessary evidence to evaluate its possible health risks. The decision was taken after almost two years of review of the Juul application to obtain the authorization of the FDA, which the law requires companies to market this type of products.
In June 2024, the FDA formally annulled the ban and gave Juul’s request a “pending state”, opening the door to a possible authorization.
“We firmly support the role of the FDA in the regulation of tobacco and nicotine products. Americans who use Nicotine deserve an orderly and reliable market that they can choose with confidence between a wide range of nicotine products free of smoke,” said KC Crosthwaite, executive director of Juul Labs, in a statement.
(The Supreme Court supports the FDA in the dispute over flavored electronic cigarettes)
Many anticipated that the Trump administration would be more indulgent with the regulations of VAPINGgiven the comment of the republican president in Truth Social during his second presidential campaign that “the VAPING”
Juul has faced the controversy for his first marketing practices, which according to critics were directed to young consumers under 21 years. In 2021, the company reached an agreement to pay 40 million dollars to the state of North Carolina for accusations that it marketed its products among minors. But Juul has denied that he deliberately tried to market his products among adolescents.
The consumption of electronic cigarettes among high school and high school students has decreased considerably in recent years. However, more than 1.6 million students still reported on their use in 2024.
Yolonda Richardson, general director of the Tobacco -free children campaign, said that this Thursday’s FDA decision is “a great step in the wrong address” and could reverse the recent advances in reducing the use of electronic cigarettes.
“There is no doubt that this crisis was driven by Juul’s products, elegant and easy to hide, which were sold in tempting flavors, including mint, they were marketed attractive to minors and supplied mass doses of nicotine that can quickly create addiction in them,” he said.
