‘They’re becoming addicted’: Parents, students react to FDA prohibiting sale of Juul products

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – The Food and Drug Administration announced a nationwide ban on the sale and marketing of Juul Labs vape and e-cigarette products. Retailers, teens and parents from Tampa Bay are reacting to the decision.

“It’s not worth, it’s ridiculous,” said Talia Rivera, an 11th grade student. She said she tried vaping but it wasn’t for her. “My school has a designated bathroom with a bunch of kids who go in there and just vape,” she said.

The FDA is taking action against the company it says played a “disproportionate” role in the teen vaping epidemic. Juul already stopped selling its fruit and dessert flavored pods in 2019. Now federal regulators say the company has to stop distributing its tobacco and menthol flavors because it did not provide enough evidence to show marketing its products.

“I think they’re becoming addicted to it,” parent DJ Vazquez said, adding she supports the FDA decision. At the South Tampa Vape shop, owner Michael Cherup said he checks IDs to make sure his customers are at least 21 years old. “We don’t want the kids here,” he said.

“We don’t want them using. ” Cherup doesn’t have to pull Juul products off the shelves because he’s never sold them. “When it first came out I thought it was more of a fad product,” he said.

Cherup said he disagrees with the FDA ban of a specific brand. “The government needs to enforce the restrictions and the laws already on the books for underage vaping and leave adults alone,” he said. Cherup said it is important to educate teens about the risks of youth vaping.

“Be transparent with them,” he said. “Tell them what’s going on. Tell them that there’s no reason to do it.

The little buzz you get that lasts a minute isn’t worth it. ” By the time her young son is in middle school, Vazquez hopes the products will be less available. “Hopefully by then we see them less and less since they’re already pulling the plug on Juul for example,” she said.

The Chief Regulatory Officer of Juul issued the following statement in response to the FDA’s decision: “We respectfully disagree with the FDA’s findings and decision and continue to believe we have provided sufficient information and data based on high-quality research to address all issues raised by the agency. In our applications, which we submitted over two years ago, we believe that we appropriately characterized the toxicological profile of JUUL products, including comparisons to combustible cigarettes and other vapor products, and believe this data, along with the totality of the evidence, meets the statutory standard of being “appropriate for the protection of the public health. ” We intend to seek a stay and are exploring all of our options under the FDA’s regulations and the law, including appealing the decision and engaging with our regulator.

We remain committed to doing all in our power to continue serving the millions of American adult smokers who have successfully used our products to transition away from combustible cigarettes, which remain available on market shelves nationwide. ”.