Lawsuits against E-cigarette maker, Juul, were filed this week by the states of California and New York, two Washington state counties and a school district for allegedly targeting minors.
The lawsuits claim Juul’s advertising campaigns target young people to use nicotine without knowing the associated risks by enticing them with flavor pods.
Juul spokesman, Austin Finan, said that while the company has not yet reviewed the complaints, they “remain focused on resetting the vapor category in the US and earning the trust of society by working cooperatively with attorneys general, regulators, public health officials, and other stakeholders to combat underage use and convert adult smokers from combustible cigarettes.”
Finan’s statement added that the company’s customer base is adult smokers and they “do not intend to attract underage users.” As a result, they’ve stopped selling one of their popular flavors and have suspended advertising in the US, instead focusing on scientific research to “reduce youth use.”
The CDC has identified e-cigarette use or vaping as a source of lung illness and a cause for several deaths.
Juul announced last month that it would stop the sale of flavors other than tobacco, mint and menthol. Juul now said it will stick to selling only Virginia Tobacco, Classic Tobacco and Menthol flavors in the United States.
The company said the decision was reached after research published earlier this week showed mint flavor was attractive to young people who vape. Studies published in the medical journal JAMA found that nearly 60% of high school students who vape use Juul, the market leader, and mint was the most popular flavor among US 10th and 12th graders.
California Attorney General, Xavier Becerra, announced the state of California’s lawsuit in conjunction with the Los Angeles District Attorney and the County of Los Angeles on Monday. The state has worked hard to combat tobacco use, he said, but continues to “lose Californians to vaping and nicotine addiction.”
Nearly 1 in 10 high school students in Los Angeles County reported using e-cigarettes, the press release from California Attorney General Becerra noted. The California lawsuit alleges that Juul violated several California laws including failing to include required warnings about exposures to chemicals linked to cancer, delivering tobacco products directly to underaged persons, violating the privacy rights of minors by sending them advertising to their email
