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Juul Prepares for Flavor Ban By Cutting 500 Jobs

Juul Labs Inc. will cut around 500 jobs by the end of 2019, according to recent reports, as the company prepares for a possible ban on flavors. Flavored pods, including flavors such as crème, mango, fruit and cucumber, make up more than 80% of the company’s sales in the United States. This year, Juul has hired, on average, 300 new employees a month, bringing the company’s employee count to a little over 4,000. In a recent statement, Juul’s chief executive, K.C. Crosthwaite, said the e-cigarette market is undergoing “a necessary reset” and Juul is currently focused on “earning a license to operate in the U.S. and around the world.”

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While Juul denies marketing to kids and teens, the evidence says otherwise. Thanks to their marketing tactics, many teens believe vaping is relatively harmless and better than smoking traditional combustible cigarettes. This increases their chance of vaping, which in turn increases the risk they move to combustible cigarettes and develop other addictive behaviors.

An outbreak of respiratory conditions affecting those who vape has impacted 22 states, and the number who are suffering is rising quickly. By August 23, 2019, there were 193 cases reported and by September 1, 2019, NBC News found 298 cases from health departments across the U.S. In some, the symptoms come on suddenly, while others suffer from low-grade symptoms for several months before they worsen. Symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath, fever, fatigue and chest pain.

Since September, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned the public to stop using e-cigarettes and all other vaping products, Juul’s sales have fallen. According to reports, the job cuts the company is making are an effort to help mend damaged relationships with regulators and prepare for the flavor ban.

it's important to understand that if you smoke e-cigarettes you may be exposing yourself to dangerous chemicals and toxic heavy metals with each puff, typically associated with cancers, heart disease and stroke. Other toxins detected in e-cigarette vapors include diacetyl, formaldehyde, diethylene glycol, tobacco-specific nitrosamine and highly reactive free radicals. In traditional cigarette smoke, these highly reactive free radicals are associated with cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart disease.