Silicon Valley e-cig company Juul just took a big step toward stopping teens from using its products
- Silicon Valley startup Juul announced on Tuesday it would stop selling flavored e-cigs at stores.
- The move comes on the heels of a similar ban on flavored e-cigs enacted by the city of San Francisco over the summer.
- Researchers nearly unanimously praised the move, which they expect will help protect young people by making the products less appealing and harder to purchase.
In an attempt to address what government regulators are calling an "epidemic" of teen vaping, Silicon Valley e-cig startup Juul officially stopped selling its flavored e-cigarettes at all retail stores, including convenience stores, vape shops, and gas stations.
The move is one of the company's strongest and most sweeping changes since it began selling its sleek, flash drive-esque e-cigs in the summer of 2017.
"As of this morning, we stopped accepting retail orders for our Mango, Fruit, Creme, and Cucumber JUUL pods to the over 90,000 retail stores that sell our product, including traditional tobacco retailers (e.g., convenience stores) and specialty vape shops," Juul CEO Kevin Burns said in a statement.
Scientists and public health advocates have been nearly unanimous in voicing their approval for the move, which they say will help protect young people by making the products less appealing and harder to purchase.