On April 24, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced new enforcement actions on the sale of e-cigarettes – JUUL products and others – to minors through both brick-and-mortar and online retailers, continuing the Agency's recent flurry of activity surrounding tobacco regulation. Additionally, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, unveiled a new Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan. Though the full details of the plan remain to be seen, Gottlieb committed to investing in science-based campaigns aimed at educating youth about the dangers of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.

The FDA has been actively conducting a large-scale, undercover investigation into the sale of e-cigarettes, and in less than two months uncovered 40 violations for the illegal sale of JUUL products to underage individuals. The Agency issued warning letters for those violations and others as part of the ongoing effort to enforce regulations on the sale of tobacco products to minors.

Taking further action, the FDA engaged with eBay to address listings for JUUL products on its website, resulting in the removal of the products from eBay and the voluntary implementation of new measures to prevent new listings. The Agency also sent an official request for information to JUUL Labs, requiring the submission of documents that will enable the FDA to better understand youth usage rates and product appeal.

The Agency plans to issue similar letters to other product manufacturers going forward and intends to target future enforcement actions at companies marketing their products in ways that may be misleading to minors. Read the full statement from the FDA here.

Keywords: ACC Advocacy, Tobacco, Minors, United States Food and Drug Administration, Tobacco Products

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