Health Day Reporter
Wednesday, September 7, 2022 (HealthDay News) – Juul Labs said on Tuesday it will pay $438.5 million to settle, without admitting wrongdoing, dozens of lawsuits over the company’s conduct that may have contributed to widespread vaping among U.S. teens.
“The settlement with 34 states and territories is an important part of our commitment to addressing past issues,” the statement said. The company said in a statement. “Through today’s announcement, we have reached settlements with 37 states and Puerto Rico and thank the Attorney General for his efforts to deploy resources to combat underage use.”
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong applauded the news.
“We think this will discourage young people from vaping,” Tong said at a news conference on Tuesday. “We’re under no illusions and can’t claim that it will stop young people from vaping. It’s still an epidemic. It’s still a huge problem. But we’ve basically taken away from the once market leader. A big piece.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration is still deciding whether to allow Juul to sell its products in the country. Juul appealed the decision after the agency banned the company’s vaping products in June, and a court ruled that the company could continue to sell some of its products until the appeal was heard by the court.
New survey in about three dozen states found that Juul, with its younger models, free e-cigarette samples and similar flavors to attract young people. Creme Brulee and Mango. Not only that, but about 45% of the company’s Twitter followers are between the ages of 13 and 17.
Tuesday’s settlement would ban Juul’s practices including marketing to teens, funding schooling or misrepresenting the nicotine levels of its products, despite The company has changed some practices under pressure from parents and public officials.
Clearing funds will be paid within 6 to 10 years, New York reports. In Connecticut, the state plans to spend its share of $16 million on vaping, nicotine and addiction programs. Texas received $43 million. Virginia will receive $16.6 million.
“It was Juul who came to the scene and opened this horrible Pandora’s box,” Meredith Berkman, co-founder of Anti-vaping Parents, tell The Times . “No amount of money can undo the harm done by Juul’s targeting and marketing to teens, who use invisible flavored products designed by the company to cause many children to suffer severe nicotine addiction and physical harm.”
Berkman, who joined the group in 2018 when her son came home from school in ninth grade, spoke of a Juul representative speaking at a school assembly and described Its products are “completely safe”. The group has received messages from hundreds of families who say their children are addicted to vaping Juul and With similar devices, Berkman said, some teens are very sick.
A recent survey from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hints at new troubles: Although more and more students are now using e-cigarettes Fewer, but products from Puff Bar, which makes candy and fruit-flavored e-cigarettes, are now the most popular.
FDA continues to try to control new candy flavors and colors Even though some companies have already started selling synthetic nicotine, synthetic nicotine was not regulated until March when Congress authorized the FDA to regulate synthetic nicotine products. The agency is still screening about one million applications from manufacturers of non-tobacco nicotine products it received this spring, The Times
The states participating in this latest solution are Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey , Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Juul earlier settled with North Carolina, Washington, Louisiana and Arizona.
There are nine more lawsuits, including in New York and California, The Times said. About 3,600 lawsuits were consolidated in California, representing individuals, school districts and local governments.
More information
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has Learn more. Source: The New York Times
