FDA cracks down on Juul, e-cig sales to minors

The Food and Drug Administration warned dozens of top retailers on Tuesday that they will face penalties if they sell electronic cigarettes to minors, particularly those manufactured under the popular Juul Labs brand.

The federal health agency said a nationwide undercover operation revealed 40 instances since March in which online or brick-and-mortar retailers, including 7-Eleven, Cumberland Farms and Shell convenience stores, were cited for illegally selling Juul e-cigarettes to minors. Officials also said they had prompted eBay to remove several listings related to Juul products.

“The troubling reality is that electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) such as e-cigarettes have become wildly popular with kids,” the FDA said in a press release. “We understand, by all accounts, many of them may be using products that closely resemble a USB flash drive, have high levels of nicotine and emissions that are hard to see. These characteristics may facilitate youth use, by making the products more attractive to children and teens.”

Juul is the most popular e-cigarette brand in the U.S., accounting for 55% of the nation’s sales, according to data cited by The Associated Press. Based in San Francisco, the company bills itself as a source of alternatives to cigarettes and other traditional forms of tobacco use.

The FDA announced additional regulations for nicotine and tobacco-related products last July as part of what it called a “multiyear roadmap” to reduce related health issues.

In addition to its crackdown on retailers, the FDA has asked Juul to turn over information related to the production and marketing of its products. Juul told FOX Business that it agrees with the FDA’s assertion that the sale of e-cigarettes to minors is “unacceptable.”

“We already have in place programs to prevent and, if necessary, identify and act upon these violations at retail and online marketplaces, and we will announce additional measures in the coming days,” the company said in a statement. “We are working with the FDA, lawmakers, parents and community leaders to combat underage use, and we will continue working with all interested parties to keep our product away from youth."