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While the US Food and Drug Administration continues to whistle electronic cigarette manufacturers – and Juul in particular – for a sharp rise in the number of young vapers, the company has launched a number of initiatives in recent months to products are not in the hands of minors.
TechCrunch announced Friday that Juul's latest attempt to solve the current problem concerns his Track & Trace program, a pilot for which the company is currently running in Houston. As part of this program, Juul has launched a web portal allowing tutors or authorities to report a confiscated vape to a minor by using the tiny serial number found on Juul devices (near the bottom where the device is charge).
"JUUL Labs is committed to preventing the use of Juul products by minors through technological solutions. That's why we are developing an end-to-end tracking system to better understand how our products reach minors, "said the company's communications manager. Ted Kwong told Gizmodo in a statement by e-mail. TechCrunch noted that in a few weeks, Juul will be able to track "every device in production" all the way through the supply chain.
Kwong said the company had landed in Houston for its pilot program "because we believe that as a large metropolitan area, it will provide us with enough information to evaluate the program and create a development plan." . But everyone, including those outside of Texas, can report a confiscated Juul with his product ID via the web portal. Kwong said that once the company would have received this information, it would work to identify the source of the sale.
According to TechCrunch, the company's systems for handling investigations into the sale or distribution of Juul products to minors could involve secret buyers – Juul is actively involved in undercover programs in Canada and the United States – or directly to the management of a retailer suspected of engaging in illegal sales.
Juul has been subjected to increased pressure from the FDA, and in particular from former Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, to take a more aggressive approach to protecting his children's products, as the number of young vapers continues d & # 39; increase. This is especially true after the controversial deal between Juul and Big Tobacco last year.
Faced with possible regulatory action, Juul actively used to implement a number of initiatives to limit the use of its products by minors, including with a program of purchase expanded secret, deleted social network accounts, age verification technology and purchase restrictions on its website. as well as many other efforts.
Nevertheless, Gottlieb has spent most of his free time with the FDA, publicly publicizing Juul for his role in a youth "vaping" "epidemic" and hinting that Juul and other e-cigarettes could be withdrawn from the market if the trend continues.
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