Many people in Louisiana have become hooked on vaping, which has been marketed as a safer alternative to smoking. Recently, e-cigarette brands like JUUL have started coming under fire for making false claims about the safety of their products and for targeting young people.
JUUL settles teen vaping lawsuit for $40 million
In a statement on June 28, the Attorney General of North Carolina announced that JUUL agreed to pay $40 million to settle charges related to teen vaping. The company was accused of designing products that appeal to underage vapers and targeting young people through its advertising.
JUUL will have six years to pay the $40 million settlement. According to reports, money from the settlement will go towards funding programs aimed at preventing vaping addiction and underage vaping. Part of the settlement will also go towards e-cigarette research and programs to help people quit vaping.
Other lawsuits still pending against JUUL
JUUL is also facing several pending state lawsuits as well as hundreds of individual lawsuits. As of now, there are 39 states investigating the company. In the state of California alone, JUUL was facing 2,339 pending lawsuits as of July.
Individual lawsuits that have been filed against JUUL by injured customers allege that JUUL’s e-cigarettes are both addictive and dangerous. Some of the e-cigarette injuries that have been mentioned in the lawsuits include:
- Stroke
- Lung disease
- Seizures
- Death
JUUL may have to stop selling some products
A pending decision by the FDA could remove several of JUUL’s products from the US marketplace. The FDA is currently reviewing a Premarket Tobacco Application submitted by JUUL, and it is supposed to make its decision on the application in September. The American Academy of Pediatrics and other health advocacy groups have urged the FDA to look at evidence from the North Carolina case.