Beyond the 806
Juul gets OK to sell updated vaping device with age-gating technology - AP News
The Food and Drug Administration gave Juul Labs federal clearance Friday to sell an updated e-cigarette called the Juul2, the company's first new device version in more than a decade. The Juul2 includes an optional age-verification system built to block underage use.
The Juul2 includes an optional age-verification system built to block underage use. The FDA approval marks a significant turn for a company that has spent recent years bleeding cash and cutting staff, laying off hundreds of employees while paying roughly $3 billion to settle lawsuits from both government agencies and private parties over teen vaping.
For parents and retailers here in Lubbock, the approval lands in a complicated spot. West Texas schools have dealt with vaping on campuses for years, and Juul's original device was a fixture of that problem. The age-gating feature on the new product is optional, which means its effectiveness depends entirely on whether sellers and users actually use it.
The Juul2 will be sold alongside updated tobacco- and menthol-flavored pods. Whether the new technology actually keeps the product out of teenagers' hands is a question regulators, retailers, and parents will be watching closely.
Juul built its original product into one of the most recognized vaping brands in the country, then spent years in legal and regulatory freefall over the same popularity that made it dominant.
Common questions
Does the age-verification feature on the Juul2 actually stop kids from using it?
- The age-gating system on the Juul2 is optional, not mandatory, which means retailers are not required to use it. That distinction matters for Lubbock parents and schools, since West Texas campuses have dealt with vaping problems tied to the original Juul device for years.
How much has Juul paid out over its role in teen vaping?
- Juul Labs has paid roughly $3 billion to settle lawsuits from government agencies and private parties related to teen vaping. The company also laid off hundreds of employees during those legal battles before receiving FDA clearance for the updated Juul2 device.
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