Juul's CEO Apologizes to Parents for Teen Vaping “Epidemic”
Kevin Burns, CEO of Juul Labs has apologized to parents for the teen vaping “epidemic.” In Vaporized: America’s E-cigarette Addiction, which premiered last night, CNBC’s Carl Quintanilla asked Burns what he would say to a parent with a child who was addicted to Juul.
“First of all, I’d tell them that I’m sorry that their child’s using the product” he answered, “It’s not intended for them. I hope there was nothing that we did that made it appealing to them. As a parent of a 16-year-old, I’m sorry for them, and I have empathy for them, in terms of what the challenges they’re going through.”
Last year the company tried to curb teen interest in its product by limiting sales of most of its flavored pods in retail stores and discontinue its social media promotions. According to USA Today, Federal data shows approximately 3 million U.S. high school students vaped last year, arousing fear of an epidemic.