Subcommittee Chairman Krishnamoorthi Issues Statement Following Favorable Response to Call for E-Cigarette Companies to Stop Advertising

Statement

Today, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, issued the following statement after two of the four companies responded favorably to the letters calling on e-cigarette companies to cease all advertising in the United States in the interest of safeguarding the health and well-being of our youth:

"I am pleased to see that two more companies have agreed to refrain from all advertising following my request to the major e-cigarettes companies. So far, Logic and NJOY have joined JUUL in refraining from all advertising. Young people will be spared commercials from these companies that may be aimed to hook them on vaping. However, youth still face media pressure to vape from two other companies. While Blu has agreed to stop using social media influencers to make their e-cigarette products look more attractive to youth -- they have not agreed to stop using broadcast advertisements to promote their devices. Vuse has yet to offer any changes to its pervasive advertising practices. I implore them to join us on the right side of history. The Subcommittee's investigation will continue in the interest of safeguarding the health and well-being of our youth."

Background:

-June 7, 2019: Chairman Krishnamoorthi launched an investigation into the role JUUL Labs, Inc. played in the youth e-cigarette epidemic.
-July 24 and 25, 2019: The Subcommittee held two days of hearings examining JUUL's role in the youth e-cigarette epidemic, uncovering significant new evidence of wrongdoing by JUUL.
-July 25, 2019: Chairman Krishnamoorthi released a supplemental memo based on information gathered thus far in the Subcommittee's investigation.
-September 5, 2019: Chairman Krishnamoorthi sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging the Acting Commissioner to evaluate statements made by JUUL representatives and to take all appropriate enforcement action.
-September 9, 2019: The FDA issued a warning to JUUL Labs, Inc. declaring it in violation of the law as a result of Chairman Krishnamoorthi's letter.
-September 11, 2019: The Trump Administration announced its plan to ban flavored e-cigarettes following information unveiled by the Subcommittee's investigation.
-September 17, 2019: Chairman Krishnamoorthi warned JUUL to produce the documents they are withholding from the Committee or it will issue a subpoena.
-September 19, 2019: Chairman Krishnamoorthi founded the "Congressional Caucus to End the Youth Vaping Epidemic" with Senator Dick Durbin, Rep. Peter King and over 50 bipartisan Members of Congress.
-September 24, 2019: The Subcommittee held the first congressional hearing since the outbreak of mysterious illnesses and deaths related to vaping with the Centers for Disease Control.
-September 25, 2019: JUUL Labs, Inc. CEO Ken Burns stepped down and the company announced it will halt all television, print, radio, and digital advertising and marketing.
-September 25, 2019: Chairman Krishnamoorthi called on four e-cigarette companies to immediately cease all television, radio, print, and digital advertising in the United States.
-October 1, 2019: Chairman Krishnamoorthi sent a letter to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) urging the agency to increase support for research into the long-term health effects of electronic cigarette usage.
-October 8, 2019: Chairman Krishnamoorthi introduced the END ENDS (Ending Nicotine Dependence from Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems) Act. This bill would cap e-cigarette nicotine concentrations at 20 milligrams per milliliter to make them significantly less addictive and appealing to youth.
-October 15, 2019: In response to Chairman Krishnamoorthi's letter, Logic agreed to advertise responsibly stating, "advertising through TV, radio and social influencers does not feature in [our] initiatives." Fontem also agreed to suspend its digital media contract and cease new social media influencer content.

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