As the government is expected to ban the distribution of most e-cigarette products, Juul has just discontinued its mint flavor. This variety is very popular among children who consume the products of the leading company.
Before this decision, the firm also stopped distributing some other flavors, such as cucumber, creme, and mango. It now only provides tobacco and menthol-flavored products.
The new move came just several days after a new study suggested that specific flavors tended to attract teens mostly.
According to the research, nearly 50 percent of participants who are high school students selected mint-flavored products from Juul.
“The result is unacceptable,” said CEO of Juul. “That’s why we need to take action and cooperate with the governments, health officials, and stakeholders to resolve the problem.”
The CEO also said that the firm would be willing to support the coming policy related to flavored tobaccos. However, many experts believe that there is not much difference between menthol and mint.
“Teenagers will switch to menthol-flavored products,” said an expert at Stanford. “It is really simple for manufacturers to change their formula slightly or re-brand the products and young people cannot realize these adjustments.”
Many experts guest that menthol might be not banned since this is a highly profitable product. While hundreds of flavors would be banned, menthol is not the case.
During history, menthol has been included in tobacco products to alleviate the harshness of harmful substances. This also leads to an increase in the number of young smokers.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 2,000 cases of lung diseases associated with vaping have been reported. Many of them must be hospitalized for intensive care.
Nearly 40 people have died, while more deaths are still being investigated.
In fact, Juul is not the main cause of the current situation. In fact, the government cannot find out any brand or product that causes these lung problems.
The epidemic leads to an announcement from the White House last week. Health officials suggested that all flavors should be banned, including menthol and mint.
A lot of municipalities and states have already taken actions and enacted several temporary bans on some flavored e-cigarettes. These include Rhode Island, New York, San Francisco, Montana, Michigan, Washington, as well as Massachusetts. All of these bans include menthol and mint flavorings, but most have been delayed and faced lawsuits.
Source:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/07/health/vaping-juul-mint-flavors.html