This is an EXCELLENT point, bombastinator, and something I've been researching for an upcoming post. As you said, in the EU, JUUL wasn't able dominate by offering nic levels higher than anyone else had ever offered before. In addition, in the United States, JUUL listed their nicotine levels by weight rather than volume. On their website they state nic levels of 5%, which, using the way all previous manufacturers listed nic levels (by volume) logically led many people to assume that meant 50 mg/mL. You have to dig deep into their FAQ's to find the true number which is 59 mg/mL because they measure it by WEIGHT rather than VOLUME. I believe this was done purposefully to reduce the sticker shock many people might otherwise have felt at seeing nic levels so much higher than anyone had ever offered before.
JUUL hasn't given up on the EU yet, though. Because they are limited to 20 mg/mL, JUUL is developing a new, more powerful e-cig to sell there. A quote from my upcoming post on this topic which you might find interesting:
JUUL is trying to sell the new device as an innocent attempt to offer vapers larger, more satisfying vape clouds but not everyone is buying that explanation. The New York Times put it bluntly, "Facing public backlash and overseas restrictions [on nicotine levels in e-liquid], the company is working on a way to lower the nicotine in its pods — but still maintain a potent punch from the addictive chemical."
The Times article quoted Micah Berman, associate professor of public health and law at The Ohio State University who spoke about the new JUUL e-cigs under development.
"If it’s a change that reduces test levels of nicotine — the amount you would identify as being in the pod itself — but doesn’t actually change the biological level, then that’s certainly problematic. It’s more like cheating the test," Berman stated.
