Juul to end U.S. sales of all flavors except tobacco, mint and menthol

Juul Labs Inc announced Thursday it will completely end U.S. sales of all flavors except tobacco, mint and menthol, as the company faces heightened scrutiny from regulators, lawmakers and state attorneys general over the appeal of its nicotine products to teenagers, according to a report by Reuters.

Thursday’s move, which ends online sales, means Juul’s mango, fruit, creme and cucumber nicotine pod flavors will no longer be available for sale anywhere in the United States. The company last year pulled those flavors from retail stores but continued to sell them on its website with what the company said were “strict age-verification controls.”

Juul’s new chief executive, K.C. Crosthwaite, a veteran of Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc, announced the move Thursday as the company attempts to repair its relationship with regulators, according to the story.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month warned Juul that it was misleading consumers by marketing its products as safer than cigarettes, and requested additional information on its nicotine blend. Soon after, the Trump administration announced plans to ban all flavored e-cigarette products, citing alarming growth in teenage use of the products.

Soon after, Juul’s former CEO, Kevin Burns, stepped down, according to the story.

Crosthwaite said in a statement Thursday that the company needs to “reset the vapor category” by “earning the trust of society,” working “cooperatively” with regulators and policymakers.