Cheap knock-offs of Juul e-cigarettes popular with teens; FDA promises 'additional action . . . very soon'

Using a Juul device (KentWired photo)

Cheap knock-offs of the Juul electronic cigarettes popular with teens have been showing up in stores and online, "despite a U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule banning the sale of new e-cigarette products after August 2016 without regulatory approval," Chris Kirkham reports for Reuters. "Start-ups and major tobacco firms have launched more than a dozen new high-nicotine devices with Juul-like designs since the FDA imposed the deadline, according to Reuters review' of the companies’ online advertisements, social media posts and public statements.

Earlier this month the FDA threatened to ban Juul and four other vaping-product companies unless they took steps to prevent use by minors, but other companies have meanwhile flooded the market with Juul copycats with no regulatory consequences, Kirkham reports. The FDA told Reuters that it planned to take "additional action on this front very soon" and would focus on products with high nicotine concentrations and flavors that apparently target youth.