In case you missed it, on 07/17/2025 the FDA announced it has “authorized” the marketing of five JUUL e-cigarette products.
These are the JUUL device, Virginia Tobacco flavor JUULpods (3% and 5% nicotine concentration) and Menthol flavor JUULpods (3% and 5% nicotine concentration).
Give these quotes from the FDA announcement a read. Then I’ll add some closing comments.
While today’s actions permit these specific e-cigarette products to be legally marketed in the U.S. to adults 21 and older, it does not mean these tobacco products are safe, nor are they “FDA approved.” There is no safe tobacco product. Those who do not currently use tobacco products should not start. Youth should never use tobacco products.
It’s interesting to me that they state this does not mean they are safe. And that they say this does not mean they are “FDA approved”. And it’s interesting to me they say there is no safe tobacco product.
Consider that as you read this final quote from their announcement.
Following an extensive scientific review, the FDA determined that evidence provided by the company – including new information the company submitted in response to a deficiency letter from the FDA – demonstrates that these specific products meet the legal standard set by the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act to market new tobacco products in the United States.
This standard requires FDA to consider the risks and benefits to the U.S. population as a whole – including the benefits to adults who currently smoke cigarettes and completely switch to a potentially less harmful product or significantly reduce their cigarette use – that is sufficient to outweigh the risks of the product, including to any youth and adults who are not current users of tobacco products.
I guess we’re pitting “less harm” against “safe”. I find that fascinating.
And I guess the process is reviewing evidence provided by the company. I wonder: is that a disclosure statement of a conflict of interest at the level of the company and its evidence, embedded right in the announcement?
Lately, I’ve been working on a monograph about the harms of nicotine, vape, pouch, synthetic nicotine analogs, and why we need to switch, as a field, to a tobacco-free model of addiction treatment. I guess I’ll be adding this announcement to the monograph.
For those that might be interested, here are some links to the earlier, preliminary information I blogged containing some of that content.
Recovery Review 