- FDA Reverses Juul Ban Amid Safety Concerns: The FDA has authorized the sale of Juul e-cigarettes and cartridges in tobacco and menthol flavors, reversing a 2022 ban, despite mounting evidence linking vapes to toxic metals and serious health risks such as cancer, heart disease, and organ failure.
- Critics Say Move Favors Industry Over Public Health: Health advocates and lawmakers blasted the decision, accusing the FDA of prioritizing industry profits over youth safety, citing Juul’s role in the teen vaping epidemic and recent research showing some vapes release more lead than 20 cigarettes.
- FDA Justifies Decision with Smoking Cessation Data: The FDA claimed Juul provided “robust data” showing that around 2 million adults quit smoking cigarettes by switching to Juul, arguing the potential benefit for adult smokers outweighed the risk to non-smokers, especially youth.
- Public Backlash and Political Opposition Grows: Despite Juul’s claim that underage use is down 98% since 2019, lawmakers like Senator Dick Durbin condemned the move, calling it a betrayal of public trust and accusing the Trump-era FDA of siding with Big Tobacco at the expense of children's health.
FDA reverses crucial ban on cancer-causing product as agency caves to protect profits over public safety
The FDA stated its decision was based on “robust data” showing Juul helped approximately two million adults quit smoking traditional cigarettes. While the agency emphasized that the authorization does not mean the products are safe, critics argue that the FDA is prioritizing the financial interests of e-cigarette companies over public health — particularly that of young people. The decision is a major win for Juul, which was on the verge of bankruptcy after the federal ban and has faced lawsuits and plummeting sales over its alleged targeting of teenagers with flavored products.
This approval comes on the heels of mounting evidence that e-cigarettes may pose significant health risks. A recent University of California, Davis study found that some disposable vapes release more cancer-causing toxic metals — such as lead and nickel — in a day than smoking 20 traditional cigarettes. Another study from earlier this year linked vaping to dementia, heart disease, organ failure, and even a documented case of lung cancer in a New Jersey man believed to be the first tied directly to vaping.
Despite this, the FDA appears to be banking on the argument that Juul serves as a less harmful alternative for adult smokers. Juul’s CEO KC Crosthwaite celebrated the decision as a step toward making cigarettes obsolete and claimed that underage use of Juul devices has dropped 98% since 2019. However, many remain skeptical of these claims, particularly given Juul’s past marketing strategies and the strong appeal of flavored vapes to teenagers.
Vaping remains common among U.S. youth. Although the percentage of high school students who vape has fallen from a peak of 27% in 2019 to 8% in 2024, this still represents millions of adolescents using nicotine products. Middle school students also show concerning usage rates, with 6% reporting recent vaping. While fruit flavors remain unauthorized, their early popularity helped establish the youth vaping epidemic that Juul is widely blamed for igniting.
Lawmakers, including Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), strongly criticized the FDA’s decision. Durbin accused Juul of sparking a youth addiction crisis and misleading the public about the safety of its products. He condemned the Trump-era policy shift that facilitated this approval, claiming it sacrifices children’s health to benefit Big Tobacco interests.
Meanwhile, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said the agency would focus efforts on cracking down on unauthorized and often dangerous Chinese e-cigarettes flooding the U.S. market. Yet critics argue that re-authorizing Juul sends mixed signals about the government’s commitment to regulating harmful products and protecting public health, especially when science on long-term e-cigarette risks is still evolving.
This reversal has reignited the national debate over vaping regulation, corporate accountability, and the FDA’s role in safeguarding public health.
Tune your food news frequency to FoodSupply.news and get updates on more junk science food stuff that corporate America and the highly corrupt FDA loads the grocery store shelves with to drive up chronic diseases and disorders so Big Pharma can take your money.
Sources for this article include:
Please contact us for more information.