Juul users react to FDA removing them from the shelves

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration ordered Juul to pull all of their products from the shelves after years of debate.

That comes as a blow to local shops who have sold them regularly for the last 4 years.

“Pretty much everyday we probably sell anywhere from like 15 to 20 boxes,” said Tobaccoville Manager Alex Nicoletti. “You know, it’s mostly for the college kids, older people.”

The Juul e-cigarette first appeared on the market in 2018, sparking a nationwide vaping epidemic among middle and high school aged students. That was one of the main arguments the FDA had over the years while advocating for them to be banned.

One local man, Reese Fanjoy, is someone who got hooked early on.

“So I started using nicotine probably late middle school,” he says. “Tobacco is nicotine pouches and stuff like that. I mean, I’ve used them all. But I think that the electronic cigarette is definitely the hardest, the most addictive, and the hardest to kick.”

Fanjoy says he started with cigarettes, and when e-cigarettes were added into the mix it became even harder to stop.

“Don’t do nicotine,” he says. “Don’t try it. It’s not good for you. It’s not fun trying to get off of nicotine at 22 years old. It’s a bad habit.”

When Juuls first hit the market, there was a huge surge across the board. However, since the pandemic, teenage vaping numbers have decreased nearly 40 percent.

Smoke shops like Tobaccoville say, another product will come along that will be the the next craze.

“Most of disposables, they have the same amount,” Nicoletti says. “So, they could easily just switch over. It’s cheaper, you get more puffs out of it was well. Just basically better.”

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