JUUL Labs, one of the companies behind the production of electronic cigarettes, has landed itself in the headlines again. A recent study from Stanford University’s School of Medicine revealed that teens and young adults who use e-cigarettes are at “a substantially increased risk of COVID-19.” Specifically, the study divulged that young people who used both cigarettes and e-cigarettes in the previous month were five times as likely to experience COVID-19 symptoms as someone who never smoked or vaped.
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The Need for Regulation of Electronic Cigarettes
In response to these results, JUUL Labs filed Premarket Tobacco Product Applications for its e-cigarettes and nicotine cartridges, which will undergo a “substantive scientific review” by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“Now is the time,” stressed Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, the study’s author. “We need the FDA to hurry up and regulate these products. And we need to tell everyone: If you are a vaper, you are putting yourself at risk for COVID-19 and other lung diseases.”
Currently facing over 650 lawsuits as well as a criminal investigation that was launched in September 2019, JUUL Labs is committed to working collaboratively with regulators, legislators, attorneys general, and public health officials to “combat underage use and transition adult smokers from combustible cigarettes.” As part of the process, the company has halted all television, print, and digital advertising as it builds up the science and evidence-based research behind its products.
Tracy Everhart
Tracy Everhart is the Editor for Drug Law Journal. A highly-trained and certified medical professional, Tracy is also an accomplished medical writer. After spending years on the front lines of the medical profession, Tracy now devotes her expertise and skills to researching and reporting on new drugs and devices that enter the market, as well as their side-effects and the real-life stories involved. Prior to joining Drug Law Journal, Tracy wrote for benchmark online healthcare resources focused on families and, in particular, women’s health issues. Tracy holds post-graduate degrees from both the American College of Healthcare Sciences and the Yale School of Nursing. She is also a graduate of both Hampshire College, where she studied microbiology and the University of South Carolina school of nursing.