Juul is testing out a new system to prevent minors from vaping

In the last few months, the FDA has been keeping constant pressure on Juul because of the company’s popularity amongst teenagers. The American health organization has demanded that the company take significant measures to fight against this “epidemic.”  Today, Juul is looking into ways to track its devices.

The Food and Drug Administration is keeping a close eye on the vaping industry, especially because of its popularity amongst young people. In order to show that it’s taking the FDA seriously, Juul has accepted to implement a vast tracking system for all of its products. The initiative is still in its experimental stages, and is intended to prevent teenagers from using the devices altogether.

According to the information website TechCrunch, Juul is launching a pilot project in Houston. The idea is to track every device with a serial number, as well as to include an online portal that will document any e-cigarette used by a minor.

Juul concedes to the FDA

The program has now officially gone beyond simple rumors, with communication director Ted Kwong recently acknowledging its existence. The goal with this system is to better understand how teenagers are able to use Juul devices. As soon as an electronic cigarette is confiscated and registered on the online portal, investigators can access information identifying the vendor.

The system will be able to identify those who sell e-cigarettes to minors. The choice to test the system in Houston, Texas, was made because of the urban setting. Indeed, better understanding the illegal sales market is one of the easiest ways to prevent young people from vaping.

Juul has decided to play along with the FDA for now. However, the recent departure of Scott Gottlieb may change the situation. A successor has not been named, which means further changes may still be forthcoming.