Beginning in the summer of 2018, the Food and Drug Administration has been on the coattails of e-cigarette manufacturer, Juul. The government agency began with assessing the problem, talking to the company and seizing documents. Juul is easily the e-cigarette of choice for both adult smokers and teenagers. With more than 70 percent of the vape/e-cig market under their belt, Juul has become the face of cigarette alternatives. It is clear that a nicotine epidemic is happening in the States, and the FDA has begun to try and put a stop to it.

The most recent action taken to ensure Juuls stay out of the hands of minors is to regulate the sale of flavors of Juul Pods. Fun flavors such as mango or creme brûlée are no longer being sold in corner stores. Juul says it will keep mint, tobacco, and menthol flavors on brick-and-mortar shelves. As for online sales, the Juul website will strengthen age-verification. Juul will require a photo of the buyer from their government-issued ID. There will also be a ban on bulk shipments. The FDA has also sent warning letters and civil money penalties to convenience stores that knowingly sold e-cigarettes to minors from April to June 2018. Juul also shut down its Instagram and Facebook accounts in the United States.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the use of electronic cigarettes has increased from 2011 to 2018. The CDC also states, “if smoking continues at the current rate among youth in this country, 5.6 million of today’s Americans younger than 18 will die early from a smoking-related illness. That’s about 1 of every 13 Americans aged 17 years or younger alive today.” Despite these grim statistics, the CDC says that program activities and anti-tobacco campaigns have decreased use in teens nation wide.

Overall, the FDA desires to get Juuls and a number of other e-cigarettes out of the hands of minors. They continue to implement their “Comprehensive Regulatory Plan to Shift Trajectory of Tobacco-Related Disease and Death,” but many regulations could take years to go into effect. So far, the only immediate action taken by either the government or the tobacco industry was to ban fun flavors, to issue fines, and to strictly enforce age requirements. All the public can do now is wait and see if the teen smoking rates decline in the United States.