North Carolina Attorney General’s Investigation of Puff Bar Is Important Step to Protect Kids
Statement of Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
WASHINGTON, D.C. – North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein today has taken important steps to protect kids from e-cigarettes and nicotine addiction, including launching an investigation of Puff Bar, which has become the most popular e-cigarette brand among kids, and calling on the FDA to eliminate all flavored e-cigarettes. Attorney General Stein is absolutely right to investigate Puff Bar, which is sold in an assortment of kid-friendly flavors like banana ice and cool mint, delivers massive doses of nicotine that can quickly addict kids, and has sought to evade FDA regulation by using synthetic nicotine in its products. According to the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey (2021 NYTS), 26.8% of middle and high school e-cigarette users report Puff Bar as their usual brand.
We also strongly support Attorney General Stein’s call for the FDA to eliminate all flavored e-cigarettes, including menthol-flavored products. The evidence is clear that flavored products have driven the epidemic of youth e-cigarette use and nicotine addiction, with the 2021 NYTS showing that 85% of youth e-cigarette users use flavored products. The FDA must quickly complete its review of all e-cigarette marketing applications and reject all flavored or high-nicotine products, which put our kids at risk. In addition, the FDA must no longer allow synthetic nicotine products like Puff Bar to evade regulation and continue to market flavored e-cigarettes to kids.
Attorney General Stein’s lawsuit against Juul founders James Monsees and Adam Bowen is also an important step toward holding them accountable for their role in the youth e-cigarette epidemic. They started Juul, oversaw development of the flavored, high-nicotine products and marketing campaigns that attracted millions of kids, and then left as billionaires without ever having been held accountable.
We applaud Attorney General Stein for his continuing leadership in protecting kids from e-cigarettes and pushing the FDA to take the strong, nationwide action needed to end this epidemic for good.