The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday formally approved Juul to sell its vape devices and nicotine pods. Dr. Robert Jackler, a professor at Stanford Medicine who focuses on the impact of tobacco and advertising, speaks with "CBS Evening News" co-anchor John Dickerson about it.

New York

The US Food and Drug Administration has granted formal approval for Juul to sell its vape devices and nicotine pods. This decision follows a period during which Juul faced significant legal scrutiny and accusations of targeting teenagers with its products. Dr. Robert Jackler, a Stanford Medicine professor, expressed disappointment at the approval, citing concerns about the public health impact and the potential message it sends to other e-cigarette vendors.

Dr. Jackler explained that while some people have used e-cigarettes to quit smoking, research suggests only a modest improvement over traditional nicotine replacement therapies. He also highlighted ongoing concerns about the long-term health effects of vaping and the role of flavors and social media marketing in attracting young users.

FDA says Juul can sell vape devices and nicotine pods

Today, the FDA formally approved the sale of Juul e-cigarette vape devices and nicotine pods. Juul has faced multiple lawsuits claiming it illegally targeted teens. For tonight's interview, we are joined by Dr. Robert Jackler, professor at Stanford Medicine who focuses on the impact of tobacco and advertising. Doctor, it's good to be with you. Tell us how Juul went from being essentially banned, right, to now this FDA decision. Well, thank you for having me on today, John. I'm disappointed to see them authorized to be on the market, because I think the best public health outcome would actually have been for them not to be kept on the market. Because although most of the things that they did that harmed the public interest, that is to say, addicting countless thousands of American teenagers with nicotine, happened before 2020. You have to hold bad actors accountable for their action. The tobacco industry over the years always says, you know, that was the old guys 10 years ago. We're much better today. Well, I do think the message to other e-cigarette vendors and other people that sell nicotine products feel that they can get away with selling to teenagers and advertising in inappropriate ways, and still, in the end of the day, win out and be able to stay on the market. I think that's unfortunate. Can you help me understand, Doctor, do we know what's in these things, and is it, well, is it health, I mean, it's not healthy, but what do we know about what's actually in them? Yeah, so there's propylene glycol and glycerin mist together with flavoring chemicals and nicotine. And there's nothing especially natural about breathing in and out that mist every day for years at a time. You know, we know that cigarette smoke irritates the lung tissues, and we know that vaping irritates the lung tissues. You know, if you start smoking when you're 15, you don't get lung cancer until you're 50. So we really don't know the long-term effects of e-cigarettes. We hope that they're less severe than smoking cigarettes. On the other hand, only time will tell us. So there is reason to concern when you see young people picking up this habit and getting hooked and feeling compelled to buy these companies' products over and over again because they fear withdrawing from addiction, which is miserable. And what's the wisdom on whether JUULs are helpful in helping people transition out of cigarettes and as an alternative? Yeah, there are certainly some people who have successfully used e-cigarettes, including JUUL, to completely leave cigarettes behind. However, if you look at the research independent from the company, JUUL's own paid researchers find differently. But those coming out of universities and governments suggest that if you use typical nicotine gum or patches, maybe six people in 100 successfully quit. If you use an e-cigarette like JUUL, maybe eight to 10 people. So it is an improvement, but that's still a 90 percent failure rate. And the real hook here is that people use vaping in places where they can't smoke. And that dual use, cigarettes when you can at a restaurant, at your workplace, you can't use them, so you turn over and you use another nicotine product like a vapor, that actually deepens addiction and makes cessation of smoking less likely. We have about 15 seconds. Why do teens turn to this and nicotine pouches and that kind of thing? Sweet and fruity flavors and social media marketing. Very potent. In 1970, we took off TV and radio from cigarettes. Today, mass media is social media. And they're all over. Dr. Jack Leary, thank you so much for being with us.

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