High-nicotine e-cigarettes flood market despite FDA rule

Record ID: 1357715

  • Title: High-nicotine e-cigarettes flood market despite FDA rule
  • Date: 24th September 2018
  • Summary: MARINE DEL REY, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - APRIL 30, 2016) (REUTERS) WOMAN LOOKING AT MENU, SHOP WORKER RECOMMENDING FLAVOR WOMAN USING E-CIGARETTES
  • Embargoed: 8th October 2018 18:37
  • Keywords: Juul addiction tobacco restrictions e-cigarettes vaping FDA high-nicotine electronic cigarettes
  • Location: ENCINITAS, MARINA DEL REY AND LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES/NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES/SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES
  • City: ENCINITAS, MARINA DEL REY AND LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES/NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES/SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Health/Medicine
  • Reuters ID: LVA0028Z0HC93
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The sleek Juul electronic cigarettes have become a phenomenon at U.S. high schools, vexing educators and drawing regulatory scrutiny over their sweet flavors and high nicotine content.
    The FDA earlier this month threatened to ban Juul and four other leading vaping products unless their makers take steps to prevent use by minors. But the warning came after companies introduced a slew of new Juul copycats following the August 2018 deadline with no regulatory consequences.
    Start-ups and major tobacco firms have launched more than a dozen new high-nicotine devices with Juul-like designs since the FDA imposed the deadline, according to a Reuters review of the companies' online advertisements, social media posts and public statements.
    Public health expert Adam Leventhal from USC's Health, Emotion, & Addiction Laboratory explains why vaping or e-cigarettes are so popular among America's youth.
    "A lot of people when they try their first cigarette for instance they cough their head off ... it tastes terrible and they never want to smoke ever again and that's a good thing for public health. When you first hit a Juul on the other hand then you get a big nicotine headrush , however you are not going to have the same type of aversive response, the bitterness, the smell of smoke, the harshness of your lungs ... so because of that after you first try a Juul you may be more inclined to stick with it," says Leventhal.
    "So, you get that exposure to that addictive drug or nicotine but you kind of take away the deterrence," he adds.
    In a statement to Reuters, the FDA said it was investigating whether certain brands are being improperly sold without FDA approval and that it "plans to take additional action on this front very soon." The agency said it would focus on products with high-nicotine concentrations and flavors appearing to target young people and take "swift action wherever appropriate."
    The FDA set the August 2018 deadline to rein in the fast-growing industry but allowed sales of Juul and other older devices to continue without regulatory approval until 2022.
    Many of the newest blends from Juul and its imitators - called "nicotine salts" in the industry - contain a compound called benzoic acid, which lowers the pH level of the liquid. That reduction allows users to take in more nicotine without a bitter taste, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
    In addition to the devices, dozens of high-nicotine e-liquids have arrived on the market with names such as "frozen mystery pop," "rainbow drops" and "Tokyo chocolate banana," which critics say are designed to attract young customers.
    Vaping proponents argue the Juul and similar new products give cigarette smokers looking to quit a much better option than lower-nicotine e-cigarettes.
    Public health researchers say high-nicotine vaping devices like the Juul have proven adept at drawing in new customers, including teenagers, who never used tobacco.
    The FDA's regulation of e-cigarettes has come under scrutiny in recent months as Juul's popularity has taken off. Anti-smoking advocates complained about the Juul lookalikes in an August letter to the FDA, saying the agency had failed to assert its authority over companies that had "evaded the review process." The FDA said it planned to respond to the letter but declined further comment.
    Vaping increased by nearly eightfold between 2011 and 2017 among U.S. high school students, according to the most recent CDC data. Experts say last year's survey likely underestimates the increase because it was conducted before a surge in Juul sales.
    Educators fear the high-nicotine devices could erode decades of progress in reducing youth tobacco use. Smoking among high school students declined from 15.8 percent to 7.6 percent between 2011 and 2017, according to the CDC, but e-cigarette use grew from 1.5 percent to 11.7 percent over the same period.
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