It seems the FDA is prepared to ban JUUL products. This blunder of a move is in the name of saving lives and curtailing teenage smoking, but all it would do is show how out of touch Washington is with the outside world. The JUUL and teenager problem ended with JUUL's removal of flavored pods nearly three years ago, and if the people at the FDA would just look around their own community, they would see that.

Teenagers don't use JUUL anymore for their nicotine needs. They've switched to disposables which still offer the enticing flavors they like. These disposables are far worse for the environment, not to mention these pop-up companies often do not have anywhere near the level of QC that JUUL provides with their products.

Yes, JUUL was partly responsible for the rise in teenage vaping five or so years ago, but they are not responsible for the problem continuing to this day. Retroactive justice for the problem they created in the past might be needed, but crippling the company and leaving millions of hard-working Americans who choose to vape out to dry is not what this country needs.

It seems Washington has forgotten the millions of adult smokers that have gotten off cigarettes because of JUUL. They are fighting the wrong enemy here. Numerous studies have shown how substantially more dangerous cigarettes are than vapes, but their pockets getting deeper from tobacco lobbyists has clouded their common sense. Banning JUUL will likely result in tens of thousands of adult smokers who are years off cigarettes defaulting back to them because there isn't a company that offers a product like JUUL. The government wants us to switch to a more dangerous product while spouting nonsense about public health.

When will the government let us be adults and make our own decisions? For the past few years, we've been treated like toddlers, and big brother needs to make every decision for us. Apparently, we cannot decide what to put into our bodies anymore. Yeah, vaping is unhealthier than not vaping. I don't think anyone is arguing against that, but just because it isn't healthy doesn't mean it needs to be banned. Alcohol and cigarettes are legal, and neither of those are healthy for you either. Yes, vapes will still be legal after a JUUL ban, but I don't believe they'll stop with JUUL.

If they really care so much about teenage vaping, they must get themselves on the right target. Banning JUUL will just cause three more companies to spring up with similar but very likely less safe products due to lack of oversight and QC. Ban vaping outright? Boom, now it's gone black market and is an even greater risk for adults trying to get off cigarettes and rebellious teens. Instead of scapegoating one company that has done so much good for adults addicted to cigarettes by making it possible to switch to a healthier alternative, they need to actually figure out how to keep vapes out of the hands of kids. I don't know the answer to this, but I can promise banning JUUL is not it. Imposing stricter regulations and punishments for people selling vapes to minors might be a better place to start than banning JUUL. There is a problem with teenage vaping in this country, but banning JUUL products will simply create more issues than it solves and likely cost lives in the long run. The FDA needs to see the error in this decision, and the Biden Administration needs to focus on bigger issues, but at the very least, they need to set their targets on the real problems that are leading to teenage smoking and vaping in 2022.