The American manufacturer of juul electronic cigarettes has agreed to pay $462 million to various US states to end charges that it violated numerous laws by marketing tobacco products to youth, New York prosecutors announced Wednesday.
In total, six states and the capital district, Washington DC, will receive this compensation, which will be used mainly for programs to reduce the underage vaping after this agreement drawn up by the New York attorney general Letitia James and her California counterpart, Rob Bonta.
The settlement requires retailers to verify the age of consumers and places restrictions on Juul’s marketing, sales, and distribution practices to protect and prevent minors from using electronic cigarettesaccording to a statement from James’ office.
“Juul ignited a public health crisis across the country by putting addictive products in the hands of minors and convincing them that they are harmless; today they are paying the price for the harm they caused,” said James, for whom “there is no doubt” that the company “played a critical role in the nationwide vaping epidemic.”
The New York prosecutor’s office asserted that “Juul misled consumers about the nicotine content of its products, misrepresented the safety and therapeutic value of its products by claiming that they were safer than cigarettes, and failed to prevent minors from purchasing its products in stores.” of all country”.
In November 2019, the New York attorney general sued juul for misleading vaping advertising targeting teens across the country. In New York alone, consumption went from 8.1% in 2014 to 23.5% in 2018.
In 2019, the proliferation of electronic cigarette led to a nationwide outbreak of serious vaping-related illnesses, with more than 2,500 hospitalizations, according to prosecutors.
In addition to New York, California, and the District of Columbia, the agreement covers the states of Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New Mexico.
On his website, juul he described the deal as “another critical part” of his “continued commitment to resolving issues from the company’s past.”
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