Juul is also gambling that other terms Altria agreed to will overcome public mistrust of the deal — including an agreement to allow Juul to advertise its product to smokers through package inserts in Altria’s cigarettes. has been investigating Juul for months, and threatened to pull the devices off the shelves if the company couldn’t find a way to keep them away from teenagers. With this deal, Juul “suddenly has the resources to refocus from defense to offense,” said David Sweanor, an antismoking advocate who supports using electronic cigarettes as an alternative. Juul changed the name of some of its flavors, took others out of stores and secured the services of Washington’s best-connected lobbyists and image consultants. Any progress in improving its image among public health advocates may be greatly diminished with this deal.

Source: New York Times December 20, 2018 12:08 UTC