US bans Juul but young vapers are already switching to newer products

This week, the US effectively banned Juul after the Food and Drug Administration ordered the e-cigarette maker to remove its popular products from the marketplace.

Juul, meanwhile, has argued its vapes help regular smokers quit cigarettes, and has said it will fight back. On Friday, an appeals court temporarily put the ban on hold while Juul appeals.

But while Juul still commands a dominant share of the US market, its popularity among young people has waned over the last few years, says Dr Devika Rao, a pediatric pulmonologist at UT Southwestern. A recent federal survey found Juul was only the fourth most popular product among middle and high school students: the disposable e-cigarette Puff Bar came in first, with Vuse and Smok the second and third most popular.

She says that the rates of vaping declined for two years during the pandemic, but doctors are now concerned that re-establishing of social networks and easing restrictions mean that those rates could again rise.