Central Iowa Vapors & Parents Against Vaping E-Cigarettes (VAPE) react to FDA order

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Several organizations have voiced their reaction to the FDA’s order to remove Juul e-cigarettes from the US market.

Co-Founder of Parents Against Vape E-Cigarettes, or PAVE, Meredith Berkman took a stance against the e-cigarette industry over 3 years ago. She wanted to protect her children from the risks of smoking vapor.

“We won’t let them use our kids as lab rats for the e-cigarette experiment,” she told TV-9. “Obviously we were enormously gratified to see FDA do the right thing.”

Central Iowa Vapors had a similar mindset when opening their e-cigarette stores across Iowa.

”We’ve never carried Juul products. Their marketing practices and how they operated didn’t align with us early on,” said President Corey Halfhill.

In its early production, Juul produced sweet-tasting flavors to appeal to a younger population. Because of that reason, Halfhill says he doesn’t expect this to impact his businesses.

As for the industry as a whole, it might have an effect, but the FDA still needs to take action at the federal level as Juul seeks to halt the ban.

”Juul has already filed in federal court, asking for a stay, meaning that they’re asking that their products remain on the market until this goes through the courts,” said Berkman.

PAVE says its goal isn’t to halt all e-cigarette business, but to prevent those products from getting to minors.

“They still have to formally hand them an MDO, a Marketing Denial Order. And as of yesterday they still not have done that,” said Halfhill.

Juul is calling this order an “extraordinary and unlawful action” that would require it to immediately halt its business.

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