The order was part of a sweeping government action that targeted both makers and sellers of e-cigarettes. The agency said it was sending warning letters to 1,100 retailers — including 7-Eleven stores, Walgreens, Circle K convenience shops and Shell gas stations — and issued another 131 fines, ranging from $279 to $11,182, for selling e-cigarettes to minors.

Federal law prohibits selling e-cigarettes to anyone under 18. In a briefing with reporters, the FDA commissioner, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, said that more than 2 million middle and high school students were regular users of e-cigarettes last year.

E-cigarette users inhale far fewer toxic chemicals than do smokers of traditional cigarettes. But they can take in higher levels of nicotine, which is addictive.

Gottlieb said the FDA would look closely at whether manufacturers were allowing bulk purchases of products through their own websites — a practice where the buyer could then sell to minors.

If such “straw sales” are happening, it should be readily apparent to the manufacturers, he said. “If the companies don’t know, or if they don’t want to know, we’ll now be helping to identify it for them.”

If necessary, he continued, the FDA would bring criminal or civil charges.

In an emailed statement, a Juul spokeswoman said: “Juul Labs will work proactively with FDA in response to its request. We are committed to preventing underage use of our product, and we want to be part of the solution in keeping e-cigarettes out of the hands of young people.”

The other four products facing the 60-day deadline are RJR Vapor Co.'s Vuse, Imperial Grand’s blu and devices made by Logic. They said they were working with the FDA as well.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Sheila Kaplan and Jan Hoffman © 2018 The New York Times