Congressman Krishnamoorthi Discusses His Leadership In Combating The Youth Vaping Epidemic In Netflix’s Documentary “Big Vape: The Rise And Fall Of JUUL”

WASHINGTON – Since 2019, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has championed national efforts to end the youth vaping epidemic, launching the first Congressional investigation into how e-cigarette makers deliberately targeted children, founding the Bipartisan Congressional Caucus To End The Youth Vaping Epidemic,  and spearheading the successful bipartisan effort to crack down on synthetic nicotine. Based on these efforts and particularly Congressman Krishnamoorthi’s investigation into e-cigarette maker JUUL Labs’ role in helping to trigger the youth vaping epidemic, he was interviewed for Netflix’s newly released documentary “Big Vape: The Rise And Fall Of JUUL.”  The Congressman appears in episode 4 and Netflix subscribers can watch the series here.

“In 2019, I launched my investigation into the youth vaping epidemic through hearings on JUUL, and because of that inquiry, we have revealed the ways in which companies have profited off of selling their products to our children, often after directly marketing to them through targeted advertising, flavors, and increasingly high nicotine levels,” said Congressman Krishnamoorthi. “In order to protect our children from the risks of lifelong nicotine addiction, it is critical that the FDA completes its review of e-cigarette marketing applications without further delay and clears the market of menthol, along with all other flavored e-cigarette products.”

Notable Events In Congressman Krishnamoorthi’s Efforts To End The Youth Vaping Epidemic

• Congressman Krishnamoorthi’s leadership in combatting the youth vaping epidemic dates back to the spring of 2019 when he launched the first congressional investigation into the issue as Chairman of the Oversight Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, during which he held four hearings on the youth vaping epidemic in America and the role of JUUL and other companies in fueling the crisis by deliberately targeting children to get them hooked on their products.
• On September 19, 2019, Congressman Krishnamoorthi co-founded the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Caucus to End Vaping with 51 colleagues from the House and Senate.
• On June 1, 2020, Congressman Krishnamoorthi sent a letter to the FDA demanding that it enforce its anti-vaping rules against disposable e-cigarettes.
• On July 20, 2020, following Congressman Krishnamoorthi’s request, the FDA cleared the market of flavored disposable e-cigarettes.
• On February 15, 2022, Congressman Krishnamoorthi called on the new FDA Commissioner, Dr. Robert Califf, to act quickly and rule on all outstanding e-cigarette applications and ban all flavored e-cigarettes.
• In March 2022, the bipartisan omnibus spending bill became law with the provisions Congressman Krishnamoorthi championed to close the synthetic nicotine loophole by giving the FDA clear authority to regulate its public health impacts.