Juul Stops Selling Mint-Flavored E-Cigarettes in the U.S.

Juul Photo by Fallon Michael on Unsplash

Trained journalist Alec Christopher Schemmel is interning at the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC. On his blog covering politics, the opioid crisis, addiction and other issues, Alec Schemmel recently published an article discussing the effects of Juul’s halt on non-tobacco flavored e-cigarette sales.

In November 2019, Juul, the United States’ largest seller of e-cigarettes, announced it would stop selling all non-tobacco and non-menthol flavored products in the U.S. The move came just weeks after the company’s decision to stop selling mango flavored cartridges to stores in October, and eventually online. Currently, the company is only selling tobacco and menthol-flavored vape cartridges. While the move may curb underage use, critics say it will negatively affect adult users who enjoy the availability and simplicity of Juul’s smoking cessation products as well as the businesses that stocked them, forcing users to return to either off-market cartridges or combustible cigarettes, which experts argue are much more dangerous.

The announcement to pluck the final non-tobacco and non-menthol flavors from Juul's manufacturing line came two days after a study by the University of Southern California showed mint flavors were popular among teenagers. Speaking through a statement, Juul CEO K.C. Crosthwaite termed the study results unacceptable. He further announced the company was resetting its flavor categories in the United States and would work with regulators and public officials to fight underage tobacco use.