Juul CEO says its e-cigarettes were never intended for teens

All eyes were on James Monsees, e-cigarette company Juul’s co-founder and chief product officer, during a House Oversight and Reform subcommittee hearing yesterday on the sharp rise in teen vaping. Although Monsees said Juul’s goal is to help adult tobacco cigarette smokers quit, Juul’s flavor offerings and marketing on social media have been blamed for attracting large numbers of teens and other young people to e-cigarettes, a phenomenon that the subcommittee chairman called “an unparalleled and unprecedented challenge.” Monsees maintained that it was never Juul’s intention to target underage youth. Lawmakers also drew comparisons between Juul and tobacco company Philip Morris International, especially on product  labeling. “Juul Labs isn’t Big Tobacco,” Monsees said. “The last thing we want to do is be confused with any tobacco company.”