JUUL Suspends Most In-Store Product Sales, Deletes Social Media Accounts

JUUL Labs announced that it will be suspending in-store sales of their most popular fruity e-liquid pod flavors.

The company also plans to take the first step towards eliminating its social media presence, which many have charged with being one of the larger contributing factors to JUUL’s appeal to minors. JUUL will still offer in-store sales of mint, menthol, and tobacco e-liquid pods for individuals who are trying to quit smoking cigarettes.

However, sales of fruity flavors, such as mango, fruit, creme, and cucumber, thought to be more enticing to teenagers, will be limited to online purchases only. The company says its working to develop technology to ensure that retailers comply with age requirements and restrict access to its products.

This is likely a preemptive step, as e-cigarette manufacturers prepare for new industry sanctions and regulations expected to be announced by the FDA later this week.

In an effort to combat the escalating number of teenage smokers, the FDA plans to unveil a ban on sales of flavored e-cigarettes in convenience stores and gas stations and strengthen the requirements for age verification of online sales of e-cigarettes.

JUUL Labs, which retains more than 70% of domestic e-cigarette market shares, will surely be in the FDA’s crosshairs as the agency initiates these new regulations. Kevin Burns, a spokesperson for JUUL Labs, says that the company will be deleting all of its social media accounts as well as continuing in efforts to monitor and remove inappropriate material from 3rd party accounts. Burns says that this is all an effort to remove JUUL entirely from participation in the social conversation. "To remove ourselves entirely from participation in the social conversation, we have decided to shut down our U.S.-based social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram," Burns explained. "Our presence on Twitter will be confined to non-promotional communications only."