Tobacco giant to pull products over teen vaping concerns
WASHINGTON — Under pressure to curb vaping among young people, the tobacco giant Altria announced Thursday that it would discontinue most of its flavored ecigarettes and stop selling some brands altogether.
The company also said, for the first time, that it would support federal legislation to raise the age to 21 for the purchase of any tobacco and vaping product.
The Food and Drug Administration launched a campaign earlier this year against the makers of ecigarettes, including the blockbuster startup Juul, as well as major tobacco companies, that were marketing their products in ways that appealed to teenagers. The agency issued warnings on Sept. 12 to several companies, giving them 60 days to prove they can keep their e-cigarette devices away from minors. It also warned 1,100 retailers to stop selling the devices to minors.
In a letter to the FDA, Howard A. Willard III, chairman and chief executive of Altria Group, formerly known as Philip Morris Companies Inc., said he was alarmed at the epidemic levels of youth e-cigarette use, although he stopped short of saying that his company’s products contributed to it.
“Although we do not believe we have a current issue with youth access to or use of our pod-based products, we do not want to risk contributing to the issue,” Willard wrote.
He also said that e-cigarettes remain an important alternative for adults who want to stop smoking.
“The current situation with youth use of e-vapor products, left unchecked, has the potential to undermine that opportunity,” Willard said.
Altria’s move could pressure other e-cigarette makers, including Juul, the dominant seller of the devices, to withdraw some products. Altria has a tiny slice of the market, while Juul now controls more than 70 percent of the market, and is valued by investors at $16 billion, according to Nielsen data.
In a note on the company’s website, Willard said he believes that flavors do help adults switch from cigarettes to e-cigarettes, and that the company would introduce new ones with FDA permission.
FDA spokesman Michael Felberbaum said that the agency appreciated any voluntary steps that companies were taking to address youth access and appeal of e-cigarettes, and would be taking additional action shortly.