Juul Labs Inc. said Aug. 29 that it will roll out additional restrictions to curb the use of its vaping products among the youth.
The e-cigarette maker said it is working with retailers across the U.S. to implement a stricter form of age verification for customers called Retail Access Control Standards, or RACS. Under the program, a retailer's point-of-sale system is locked when a Juul product is scanned and will remain so until a valid, of-age government-issued I.D. is electronically scanned. It will also impose automatic limits on the number of products a legal-age customer can purchase.
Meanwhile, Juul announced the nationwide rollout of its Track & Trace program for Juul devices, which has been under trial in the Houston area over the past 20 weeks.
The program uses the serial number on the product to trace confiscated Juul devices and identify the retailer that sold them. A team will then be sent by Juul to the retailer to take appropriate action.
The company has previously expressed support for the passage of Tobacco 21 laws, which aim to restrict the sale of tobacco products to customers ages 21 and above. Juul has also restricted flavors and shut down its social media accounts in the U.S. to limit the appeal of their products to youth.
Juul's new measures come over a week after a U.S. House of Representatives committee launched an investigation into the health effects of e-cigarettes.
The Federal Trade Commission is also reportedly looking into whether Juul targeted minors in marketing its products. Earlier this month, Juul and Philip Morris USA Inc. were sued for allegedly violating racketeering laws to market e-cigarettes to the youth.
Altria Group Inc., the parent company of Philip Morris USA, owns a 35% stake in Juul.
