Juul marketing materials seized as FDA targets underage vaping

The Federal Drug Administration has seized more than one thousands documents from e-cigarette company Juul, according to a new report. The documents are said to be related to Juul's marketing practices, the focus being underage vaping and the FDA's ongoing work to address marketing that some companies may be targeting at teens.

The information comes from CNBC, which reports that the FDA seized the documents during a surprise inspection last week. The event is reported to have taken place at the e-cig company's California headquarters; the FDA confirmed in a statement that it has acquired more materials from Juul.

Teen vape use has long concerned the FDA, which has expressed issues with flavored liquids that it believes are contributing to underage use. The agency is behind a recently detailed social campaign that includes digital advertisements and materials distributed to high schools that discourage teen use.

Juul has proven particularly popular with teenagers, an issue the company works to address by requiring age verification on its online shop, among other things. Earlier this year, a report from Bloomberg claimed Juul was considering Bluetooth technology to disable its vapes when they're on high school premises.

Last month, the FDA announced a major crackdown on underage use. The agency targeted five popular e-cig brands, Juul among them, and ordered them submit plans to curb teen use of their products within 60 days. Those 60 days will be used by the agency to probe the companies' sales and marketing practices, among other things.

SOURCE: CNBC