Kevin Burns, CEO of Juul Labs, steps down from his position at the leading San Francisco-based e-cigarette company amid the growing numbers of reported cases of vaping-related lung illnesses and concern about youth vaping, The Guardian reported.
KC Crosthwaite, chief strategy officer at Altria, will be replacing Burns, according to the report. Altria is currently Juul’s largest shareholder. This news comes after Altria and Philip Morris International announced that the companies ended merger talks, the report said.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported over 500 cases of lung illnesses and nine deaths linked to vaping across 38 US states. According to the report, many of these cases have been related to vaping tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).