Focus on Juul
Q: You’ve given Juul, the San Francisco-based e-cigarette maker, a lot of attention in recent months. Why?
A: The interaction we’ve had with the company covers things that are both public and nonpublic. But generally, there has been a remarkable one-year rise in e-cigarette use among youth that might have been fueled by the popularity of Juul and products like it. They’re similar in form, taking the shape of a USB flash drive, and their use of nicotine salts. But understand our perspective. The technology may help addicted adults switch to a less-harmful form of nicotine delivery, but we’re not going to allow a new generation of kids to get addicted. We have a concern that the category is wildly popular with kids, so we have to consider the characteristics of the products, including flavors.