Business & Finance
FDA authorizes Juul to sell updated e-cigarette device with age-verification technology
The decision allows Juul to launch its Juul2 system following years of lawsuits and financial cutbacks over teen usage.
The short version
- The FDA authorized Juul Labs to market an updated e-cigarette system called Juul2, marking its first main device update in over a decade.
- The new device features optional age-gating technology that can require age verification through a mobile application before unlocking.
- The decision follows approximately $3 billion in legal settlements paid by Juul over past youth usage and marketing concerns.
- The FDA emphasized the authorization is not an endorsement, while noting that switching completely from traditional cigarettes to e-cigarettes can reduce exposure to harmful chemicals.
Key facts
- The Food and Drug Administration granted federal permission to Juul Labs to market its updated Juul2 e-cigarette device alongside updated tobacco- and menthol-flavored cartridges.[ABC News · STAT · Associated Press]
- The Juul2 device includes an optional age-verification system designed to restrict access by requiring users to verify their age through an online app.[ABC News · STAT · Associated Press]
- Juul Labs previously laid off hundreds of staff and paid about $3 billion to settle public and private lawsuits regarding underage usage of its products.[ABC News · STAT · Associated Press]
- Juul CEO K.C. Croswaite stated the company intends to offer additional flavors targeted toward adult nicotine consumers.[STAT · Associated Press]
- Company studies reviewed by the FDA showed that between 20% and 50% of adult smokers who used Juul products quit smoking traditional cigarettes after six weeks, depending on flavors and nicotine strengths.[ABC News · STAT · Associated Press]
- Federal data indicates Juul is no longer the top-selling e-cigarette brand in the United States, trailing Reynolds American's Vuse.[ABC News · STAT · Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- The timeline and regulatory approval status for additional non-tobacco and non-menthol flavors planned by Juul remain unspecified.[STAT · Associated Press]