Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Juul Offers Over $100M In Incentives To Retailers To Adopt Electronic Age Verification Systems
The Wall Street Journal: Juul Introduces Checkout System To Combat Underage Purchases
E-cigarette startup Juul Labs Inc., facing blame for a surge in teenage vaping, is offering more than $100 million in incentives to retailers to install a new electronic age-verification system intended to curb illegal sales to minors. The modification to point-of-sale software blocks each Juul purchase until the shopper’s driver’s license or other government identification has been scanned. It also limits each purchase to a maximum of one vaporizer and four refill packs. So far, Juul said, Cumberland Farms Inc., QuikTrip Corp. and other chains representing 40,000 outlets have agreed to adopt the system. (Maloney, 8/28)
In other news —
Bloomberg: Philip Morris, Altria Deal Seen As Public Health ‘Nightmare’
Philip Morris International Inc. and Altria Group Inc.’s potential remarriage has public-health groups concerned about one behemoth dominating the most popular products used to get a nicotine fix. The potential combined tobacco group with a market value of nearly $200 billion would create a patchwork family consisting of the three leading brands in cigarettes, vaping and heated tobacco. (Gretler, 8/28)
