E-cigarette Juul to pay $462 million fine for targeting youths
E-cigarette Juul to pay $462 million fine for targeting youths
Robert Besser
18 Apr 2023, 12:21 GMT+10
- Juul Labs has agreed to settle claims by six US states in which it will pay $462 million over eight years for unlawfully marketing its tobacco products to minors
- Juul has not admitted any wrongdoing in its settlement
- Juul has been accused of falsely marketing its e-cigarettes as less addictive than cigarettes, as well as targeting minors with its advertising campaigns
SAN FRANCISCO, California: E-cigarette maker Juul Labs has agreed to settle claims by six US states, along with the District of Columbia (DC), in which it will pay $462 million over eight years for unlawfully marketing its tobacco products to minors.
Juul has not admitted any wrongdoing in its settlement.
The agreement with New York, California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts and New Mexico means that the San Francisco-based company has now settled with 45 states for more than $1 billion.
Juul has been accused of falsely marketing its e-cigarettes as less addictive than cigarettes, as well as targeting minors with its advertising campaigns.
At a news conference, New York Attorney-General Letitia James said, “Juul’s lies led to a nationwide public health crisis and put addictive products in the hands of minors who thought they were doing something harmless.”
California Attorney-General Rob Bonta also said, “Today is another step forward in our fight to protect our kids from getting hooked on vaping and nicotine.”
In a statement, Juul said that since autumn 2019, when it changed its marketing practices as part of a “company-wide reset,” the use of its products by people under age 18 declined by 95 percent.
The company’s market share subsequently fell from 75 percent in 2018 to less than 30 percent.
This week’s settlement followed the filing of separate lawsuits against the company, but was negotiated by the states and DC as a group.
Juul is still in the midst of a related trial in Minnesota, as well as facing lawsuits or open investigations in Florida, Michigan, Maine and Alaska.
In 2029, under pressure from regulators, Juul removed most of its flavors from the products and ended most of its advertising.
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