Nicotine expert joins Juul

Juul Labs has hired Mark Rubinstein, a prominent University of California researcher known for his work on the risks nicotine poses for the adolescent brain, as its medical director, reports The Los Angeles Times.

Juul Labs said the hiring will support its efforts to stem a teen vaping craze that the FDA has labeled an epidemic.

In a statement, Juul Labs said Rubinstein would oversee research on underage use of vapor products, guide the company’s youth prevention programs and policy positions and help form links with the public health community.

Colleagues of Rubinstein, however, said they were disturbed by the move and skeptical of Juul Labs’ motivation. At the heart of their concern is whether Juul Labs is willing to lose the giant base of teen users who have helped fuel the company’s meteoric rise and hefty market share.

“Even if you believe in harm reduction,” said Stanford University professor Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, “to go work for a tobacco company, to me, goes against everything that anybody doing control should believe in.”