FDA Suspends Order Banning Juul Cigarettes

    Image copyright: Bloomberg/Getty Images [via Time]

    The Facts

    • The FDA on Tues. issued an "administrative stay" to its Jun. 23 order for the company Juul to pull its electronic cigarettes from the market.

    • A day after the initial order banning sales, a federal appeals court temporarily blocked the government ban. The FDA stated on Twitter that the "administrative stay" suspends the marketing denial order while it conducts further review but doesn't rescind it.


    The Spin

    Left narrative

    The ban was a step in the right direction, and more needs to be done about the harm being carried out by profiteering companies. Regulation is needed not only in the nicotine sector but also in unethical AI, predictive policing, and environmental issues across the US, which would all benefit from closer government scrutiny.

    Libertarian narrative

    The attempted prohibition represents the excessive power of the executive branch at the cost of individual liberty. The Founding Fathers did not intend that the president could dictate consumer rights.

    Establishment-critical narrative

    The FDA's reversal of course is an embarrassing u-turn and has backfired on the federal government. While the FDA is supposed to approve or deny products based on scientific evidence political pressure from both Biden and Congress has been exposed, and efforts to stack the deck with fruitless "regulation" schemes are now out in the open.


    Political split

    LEFT

    RIGHT

    More neutral political stance articles