On Thursday, Juul announced that it would discontinue all sales of its mint-flavored pods, which are popular amongst the youth demographic.
This comes only a few weeks after Juul halted sales of all fruity flavors, facing accusations that their fruity pods were designed to entice underage smokers.
Juul will stop accepting retail orders of mint pods effective immediately. They will also discontinue all online mint pod sales.
A study of youth vaping released earlier this week found that a majority of teen e-cigarette smokers used fruit flavors, menthol, mint, and candy flavors.
“These results are unacceptable and that is why we must reset the vapor category in the U.S. and earn the trust of society by working cooperatively with regulators, attorneys general, public health officials, and other stakeholders to combat underage use,” Juul CEO K.C. Crosthwaite said in a statement.
Also, on Thursday, Juul was issued a demand to open up the books for federal lawmakers who plan to review internal-Juul reports and documents to investigate whether there is any weight to the claim that Juul sold 1 million contaminated pods to consumers; a claim charged against Juul earlier this week by former company executive Siddharth Breja. Breja has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the company, claiming that Juul knowingly sold 1 million contaminated pods to retailers and through their online store. According to the lawsuit, when Breja brought it up to other executives on multiple occasions, he was ignored and eventually terminated for making said claims.
The formal investigation will be conducted by The House Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy. The committee will also be looking into Juul’s testing policies and product quality standards.
“These allegations raise concerns due to the current outbreak of e-cigarette-related lung illness for which the cause remains unknown by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., and sub-committee member said in a statement. “Our country is in the midst of a youth e-cigarette use epidemic, meaning that any contaminated pods would disproportionately put children at risk.”
