The Food and Drug Administration put Juul Labs Inc., on notice Monday for allegedly advertising their products as “much safer than cigarettes” to kids in a school presentation.
The FDA is investigating House Oversight Committee testimony from two teens that they saw a Juul representative give a presentation in school saying not only that the products are “totally safe,” but also that each student “should mention JUUL to his [nicotine-addicted] friend … because that’s a safer alternative than smoking cigarettes, and it would be better for the kid to use.”
The warning letter said that Juul marketed its products directly to consumers, including children, as a safe alternative to cigarettes without FDA approval, claiming the device and vaping concentrations contained little to no dangerous chemicals and reduced the risks of tobacco-related diseases.
[Related: Melania Trump calls for government action against e-cigarettes]
The FDA demanded that Juul send all scientific data the company has gathered to bolster its claims that the e-cigarette is safer than smoking cigarettes. The letter comes amid rising concern that a rise in lung diseases are linked to vaping both nicotine and THC, the high-inducing chemical in marijuana.
Five people have died of respiratory illnesses in the past three weeks, and each person had reported e-cigarette or vape use. Health officials on the state and local levels have not said yet whether the deaths and 450 cases under investigation are directly tied to vaping, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that people stop using e-cigarettes immediately.
