Juul suspends advertising in U.S., CEO steps down as vaping concerns intensify - Global News

E-cigarette maker Juul is shutting down broadcast, print and digital advertising and ending lobbying efforts in Washington as safety concerns over vaping intensify.The company on Wednesday said its CEO was stepping down and will be replaced by a senior executive from Altria, the maker of Marlboro. Altria took a 35% stake in Juul in December at a cost of $13 billion.Story continues below Also on Wednesday, one month after announcing that they were in merger talks, the tobacco giants Altria and Philip Morris International said they were calling off those discussions.Juul has long pushed its e-cigarettes as an alternative for adults looking to wean themselves off tobacco products. But e-cigarettes have become popular among teenagers, and illnesses potentially linked to the product are on the rise.READ MORE: U.S. seeing ‘more and more cases each day’ of vaping-related illnessOn Tuesday the governor of Massachusetts declared a public health emergency and ordered a four-month ban on the sale of vaping products in the state, apparently the first action of its kind in the nation. As of Tuesday, 61 cases of potential cases of lung disease related to the use of electronic cigarettes and vaping in Massachusetts had been reported to the state.Three confirmed cases and two probable Massachusetts cases of vaping-associated pulmonary disease have been reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Dr. Anne Schuchat, of the CDC, told a congressional subcommittee Tuesday that she believes “hundreds more” lung illnesses have been reported to health authorities since Thursday, when the CDC put the tally at 530 confirmed and probable cases.Earlier this month President Donald Trump said that the federal government will act to ban thousands of flavours used in e-cigarettes in response to a recent surge in underage vaping that has alarmed parents, politicians and health authorities nationwide. The Food and Drug Administration will develop guidelines to remove from the market all e-cigarette flavours except tobacco.WATCH: JUUL opens first Canadian location in Toronto

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September 25, 2019 at 07:59PM