FDA recalls Juul e-cigarettes

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) dealt a heavy blow to the

e-

nationwide.

The company based in Washington DC and capital of Altria - the owners of Marlboro - will not be able to continue

that made it the reference brand in the US for years.

Founded by Adam Bowen and James Monsees in May 2015, Juul Labs helped popularize e-cigarette use in the world's leading powerhouse, especially among teens.

At the end of 2017, it was the great

with more than 70% of all sales nationwide.

In its statement, the FDA said the company had provided insufficient and

that could leak through its capsules.

Even so, they clarified that they have not received "clinical information that suggests an immediate danger" for consumers who possess Juul devices.

Robert Califf, commissioner of the government agency, called the decision "a further advance in the FDA's commitment to ensure that all

and e-cigarette products currently marketed to consumers meet our standards. "

of public health".

The ban affects both vapers and four of their capsules:

with nicotine concentrations of 5% and 3%.

The company must stop selling and distributing these products in addition to withdrawing those already on the market.

This is a serious blow, not only for Juul but also for the interests of Altria, the

by level of turnover.

The owner of Marlboro and parent company of Philip Morris invested 12.8 billion dollars in December 2018 for 35% of the company, which signed an aggressive advertising campaign to hook the younger public to its products.

Juul was quick to

and in publications that helped kids as young as 11 with their homework for school.

They turned to models and successfully penetrated the market with flavors like crème brulee, mango, and cucumber.

However, the scrutiny of the brand has been constant in the last four years, especially

and regulatory institutions.

In April 2018, the FDA announced a ban on the sale of this class of cigarettes to those under 21 years of age after deaths associated with its consumption were recorded.

Juul has already announced that it will appeal the sanction.

They are supported by the powerful US tobacco

and organizations like the American Vapor Manufacturing Association.

"Measured in lives lost and potentially destroyed, the FDA's staggering disregard for ordinary Americans and their right to switch to the much safer alternative of vaping is sure to go down as one of the

regulatory neglect in US history. "

States," Amanda Wheeler, director of the association, said in a statement.

However, the numbers of young people hooked on electronic cigarettes contradict his statement.

They are new users who have never smoked

.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 3.6 million young people in the US consumed this kind of product in 2018, 1 in 20 high school students, between 11 and 13 years old.

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