FDA Declares Youth Vaping an Epidemic as JUUL Dominates Market

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb declared youth e-cigarette use an "epidemic" on September 12, 2018, warning that JUUL Labs had captured approximately 75% of the e-cigarette market while targeting teenagers with fruit and dessert flavors, social media marketing, and a device that resembled a USB flash drive. JUUL had sold 16.2 million devices and raised $1.25 billion from Altria (Philip Morris) by the end of 2018. FDA gave manufacturers 60 days to submit plans to restrict youth access or face removal of flavored products from the market.