Juul Labs, the big e-cigarette maker that is embroiled in controversy, announced Wednesday that its chief executive officer is stepping down and will be replaced by a top official from Altria, a part-owner of Juul.
The company also said it will not lobby against a proposed ban on most flavored vaping products announced recently by President Donald Trump. It said it is suspending all broadcast, print and digital advertising in the United States.
Kevin Burns, Juul’s chief executive officer, is being replaced by K.C. Crosthwaite, Altria’s senior vice president for chief strategy and growth. Crosthwaite oversaw Altria’s “commercial and regulatory efforts” related to the launch of IQOS, the company’s “heat-not-burn” alternative to cigarettes, Juul said in a press release.
The staff shake-up was announced by Burns and Juul co-founders James Monsees and Adam Bowen.
Juul’s popular e-cigarettes have revolutionized the market in the last few years. But the company has been accused of igniting what federal officials have called an “epidemic” of underage vaping. The company has repeatedly said it opposes underage use of its products.
But data that became available earlier this month showed a continued surge in vaping among high school students. In addition, a mysterious lung disease that is afflicting vapers has raised alarms among parents and federal health officials. Those officials have not tied the outbreak to any Juul product.
Trump, at a White House meeting Sept. 11, said he supports banning almost all flavored e-cigarette products. The Food and Drug Administration is currently hammering out the policy and is expected to issue it in the next several weeks. It will take effect 30 days after it is issued, administration officials have said.
Under the plan, all flavored e-cigarettes – except for tobacco-flavored ones – will have to be taken off the market until they get approval from the FDA, a process that could take months or years.
Juul, under pressure from the FDA, stopped selling many of its flavored products late last year in retail settings. But it still sells mint and menthol flavors in stores – and the recent data showed that those products have become increasingly popular with young people.
(c) 2019, The Washington Post · Laurie McGinley
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