So How Much is a New Lung? –
Aug. 7, 2019 – The context here is, well, complicated. In response to a mounting number of state and federal investigations, Juul last year made it more difficult to buy some flavors in stores and sharply cut back on promotion on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. In March, the FDA proposed a limited crackdown on the sales of e-cigarettes that would have given Juul and other manufacturers until August 2021 to submit formal applications to keep selling their products. But anti-tobacco activists—who sued in federal court—won a shorter (ultimately ten-month) timeframe if manufacturers want their products to stay on the market.
Meanwhile, the showdown looms in Juul’s hometown, which passed its ban in an effort to curb what officials say is a nicotine “epidemic” among teenagers. The company and its allies are fighting to replace the ban with a much looser set of regulations, and recently got enough signatures to let local voters decide the issue in November. If upheld, the ban would prevent e-cig sales without FDA approval.
