JuuL To Launch Device That Can Detect Users’ Age

The redesigned Juul, is to be launched in some Western European countries and Israel and was initially designed to be able to track former smokers’ nicotine intake. However CEO Kevin Burns has said that it will also be able to verify a user’s age in order to prevent use by minors.

In the last few months, the Juul vape pen has been under the spotlight, as we have been bombarded with alarming media headlines saying that the sleek e-cigarette which looks like a USB, is apparently addicting a whole new generation to nicotine.

Striving to earn credibility

In response to this, Juul Labs had announced that it would be spending $30 million to support state and federal initiatives to raise the minimum age to buy tobacco products, and towards research on how to prevent youth access to the products.

 

This age tracking system is the latest in a series of measures that the company is implementing to mitigate the backlash. Last June, the San Francisco-based company said that it would cease promoting its products online, and instead of advertising its devices, it would promote the devices as cessation tools by using images of former smokers who have switched from smoking to vaping the Juul device.

Following this, last month, Juul Labs announced that it will be selling lowered-nicotine pods that should help vapers reduce their nicotine levels. As it stands, a single Juul Pod contains about 5% nicotine. The new reduced-nicotine pods will contain roughly 3%, which amounts to a 40% reduction.

“We hope the availability of different nicotine strengths will continue to allow adult smokers the ability to explore what is best for them.” said company CEO Kevin Burns at the time.

Juul Labs want their device to be considered functional not ‘cool’

The new age-detecting device is also launched in the face of a number of lawsuits by users, who allege that while the e-cig manufacturer deceptively markets their device as a safer alternative, Juul actually contains more potent doses of nicotine than regular cigarettes, leading to a worsening of their nicotine addiction.

Hence Juul Labs Inc is doing its utmost to prove the company’s credibility. “We’re not a lifestyle brand, we’re a functional product,” Burns told Bloomberg. “We don’t want the product to seem cool.”

Read Further: Newsweek