Juul stops all US ads, boots CEO

Enlarge / Menthol pods for Juul Labs Inc. e-cigarettes are displayed for sale at a store in Princeton, Illinois, U.S., on Monday, Sept. 16, 2019. (credit: Getty | Bloomberg)

As e-cigarette-maker Juul faces increasingly searing scrutiny for allegedly marketing its products to teens and helping ignite an "epidemic" of youth vaping, the company announced Wednesday that its CEO is stepping down, and it is ceasing US advertising and lobbying for now.

Juul CEO and cofounder Kevin Burns will be replaced by K. C. Crosthwaite effective immediately. Crosthwaite had the title of Chief Growth Officer at Altria Group Inc., formerly Philip Morris Companies, Inc., before the appointment.

At Altria, Crosthwaite oversaw the company's "expansion into alternatives to combustible cigarettes," Juul said. He played a key role in the rollout of and "regulatory efforts" related to IQOS, Altria's heat-not-burn tobacco device. Anti-smoking groups have also accused IQOS of being designed to appeal to youth.

Read 7 remaining paragraphs | Comments