The Philippine unit of Juul Labs on Monday said it would no longer sell its vaping products to those aged below 21 as mandated under the new sin tax law.
“Together with BFY Corp., its exclusive distributor in the Philippines, Juul Labs is proactively taking steps to immediately comply with the newly passed legislation, even ahead of deadline, to uphold its commitment of acting responsibly and in collaboration with public health officials and regulators,” the company said in a statement.
Under Republic Act No. 11467 signed by President Duterte last week, e-cigarettes such as heated tobacco and vapes cannot be sold to buyers younger than 21 years old.
It added, “In accordance with RA 11467, Juul Labs Philippines will no longer make mango, creme and mint Juulpods available for purchase at any Juul Labs-owned kiosks nor Juul.ph website and will stop fulfilling retail orders for these flavors from any of its retail partners. Juul Labs and its partners will continue selling the virginia tobacco flavor to those verified as over the age of 21.”
Also, Juul Labs said it would pay the higher excise tax rates for nicotine-based vapor products provided under RA 11467—P37 per milliliter (mL) effective Jan. 1, 2020; P42 per mL in 2021; P47 in 2022; P52 in 2023; and increments of 5 percent yearly starting 2024.
Before RA 11467 became law, liquid e-cigarettes were taxed P10 per 10 mL.
“At Juul Labs, we are dedicated to helping the world’s one billion adult smokers transition away from combustible cigarettes while responsibly preventing underage use of our products. We are supportive of all measures that appropriately position vaping products to ensure they reach only the adult smokers for whom they are intended,” the company said. INQ