US bans sales of top e-cigarette brand in the country

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Photo: Vaping360 via Flickr

The US government has banned the marketing of all Juul products, the country’s leading e-cigarette maker. The decision, taken by Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is the result of two years of analysis by the agency, responsible for the release of food, medicine and other drugs in North American territory.

The agency says the company has not provided evidence that its products – both the e-cigarette and its essences – would be suitable for protecting public health.

The product, launched in 2015, is focused on consumption by young people and people who want to quit smoking. New research, however, has indicated that the use of these devices can cause the opposite effect to the desired one, making it difficult for consumers to stop using them.

“The FDA determined that the applications did not have sufficient evidence regarding the toxicological profile of the products to demonstrate that marketing would be appropriate”, the agency said in a statement in English. The agency said, however, that it will not prevent the importation of the products, nor will it attack those who already own the devices.

Founded in 2015 as a startup in Silicon Valley, Juul sold 35% of its shares to Altria, the company that owns Phillip Morris. The value was close to US$13 billion.