Juul Canada to continue selling fruity flavoured pods despite online suspension in US

E-cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs has announced it would be suspending the online sale of all fruity-flavoured vape pods in the US until the products are fully reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

However, at this time, these pods will still continue to be sold in Canada.

“We must reset the vapour category by earning the trust of society and working cooperatively with regulators, policymakers, and stakeholders to combat underage use while providing an alternative to adult smokers,” said Juul CEO KC Crosthwaite in a statement on Thursday.

This means that all mango, creme, fruit, and cucumber-flavoured vape pods will no longer be available for sale online in the US unless they receive formal approval from the FDA.

“Until today, our non-tobacco, non-menthol-based flavours (Mango, Creme, Fruit, and Cucumber) were made available by JUUL Labs in the US only at JUUL.com, which has strict age-verification controls,” said Crosthwaite in the statement.

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Lisa Hutniak, a spokesperson for JUUL Labs Canada, told Daily Hive in a statement the company believes flavoured products can play an important role in helping adult smokers move away from combustible cigarettes.

“We are committed to working with regulators in every market we operate, to lead the industry in responsible practice and to help adults find alternatives to combustible cigarettes while preventing underage use,” said Hutniak.

“In every market we enter, we adhere to all local regulations and will go above and beyond to ensure our product reaches only the adult smokers for whom it is intended.”

At this time, Canadians still have access to the flavoured pods, both in-store and online.

Screenshot from JUUL Canada website

This move comes after months of backlash toward the US-based vape company, and Health Canada issuing a warning to users following an increase in vape-related deaths and illnesses.

Crosthwaite says the company will continue to develop scientific evidence to support the use of these flavoured products, along with strict measures to combat underage use.

“We believe these products can play an important role in helping adult smokers move away from combustible cigarettes,” said Crosthwaite.