Nearly two years ago, the Food and Drug Administration banned flavored e-cigarettes, like Juul, citing their popularity among teens.
But some vaping products have managed to avoid regulation by the FDA even as they grow increasingly popular among kids.
Nick Minas and Patrick Beltran are the two of the businessmen and CEOs behind Puff Bar, the biggest company in America still selling fruit-flavored nicotine products.
The company makes a range of vaping products with sweet flavors.
“People always say, like, ‘You guys are trying to sidestep or side skirt, you know, kind of laws.’ And we’re not. You know, I mean, if there’s a law that would order us off the market tomorrow, we would pull our products off the market tomorrow,” Beltran told “CBS Mornings” co-host Tony Dokoupil.
The FDA has challenged Puff Bar before. In a warning letter last year, it told the company it did not have FDA “marketing authorization” required of all new tobacco products. But in February, they re-launched with what they say is a “tobacco-free nicotine” formula that doesn’t fall under FDA rules.
“I think it ended up being the better alternative,” Beltran said. Synthetic nicotine is created through a chemical process that does not involve tobacco leaves.
Illinois Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has been critical of Puff Bar since early 2020.
CBS News – 2021-12-15.
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