On Wednesday, April 15, District Judge Paul W. Grimm of US District Court for the District of Maryland ruled that the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) acted illegally in 2017 by allowing e-cigarettes to stay on the market until 2022 before companies applied for FDA authorization and by permitting products to remain on the market indefinitely during review.
The ruling is part of a lawsuit that the American Academy of Pediatrics and other health groups filed against the FDA. As part of his ruling, Judge Grimm gave the health groups 14 days to offer recommendations and for the FDA to respond. Grimm stated, "It is now the FDA's responsibility to take immediate action to protect our kids and require manufacturers to apply to the FDA if they want to keep their products on the market, including products like Juul that have fueled the youth e-cigarette epidemic."