Juul CEO Says Non-Smokers Should Not Try His Company’s Product

Juul CEO Kevin Burns said Thursday that non-smokers should not use his company’s product. “Don’t vape. Don’t use Juul,” Burns said during an appearance on CBS This Morning. “Don’t start using nicotine if you don't have a preexisting relationship with nicotine. Don’t use the product. You’re not our target consumer.”

The straightforward message comes as the company faces multiple lawsuits, growing concern from the public over the popularity of Juul among teenagers, and an investigation launched by House Democrats earlier this year. Burns has previously apologized to the families of teenagers addicted to the product, saying that it was never intended for use by kids.

When asked on CBS whether Juul is safer than traditional cigarettes, Burns declined to respond. “I’m not gonna comment about where I am in terms of that,” he said. “Let’s just say cigarettes are known to be the number-one source of preventable death in the world and are at the far end extreme of that—the continuum of risk.” Burns then clarified: “We think we have a product that is legal today, is tested for toxicity, and does not present, you know, a risk based on the guidelines of the category today to the American public.”