TORONTO - A commitment by San Francisco-based Juul Labs to no longer promote its e-cigarettes in print, digital and TV advertisements applies only in the United States, not in Canada, a spokesman says.
Alex Cerelli of Juul Labs Canada says in an email that Juul Labs is a global company and "this announcement impacts the U.S. only." He didn't answer a question about how Juul markets its products in Canada.
On Wednesday, the largest e-cigarette maker in the U.S. also announced its CEO, Kevin Burns, will step down and pledged not to lobby against a sweeping ban on vaping flavours proposed by the Trump administration.
Juul and hundreds of smaller e-cigarette companies are fighting for their survival as they face two public health debacles linked to vaping: a mysterious lung illness and rising use of e-cigarettes by teenagers.
Juul entered the Canadian market in August 2018, vowing to help Canada's five million adult smokers quit by providing an alternative to combustible cigarettes.
It said its Juul devices, USB docking stations and flavoured vaping liquids that contain nicotine would be available for purchase in convenience stores, vape shops and on its e-commerce site.
