Juul has settled its first state lawsuit involving deceptive business practices in North Carolina. This will allow Juul to limit its marketing claims and place products in shops.Juul will cease using marketing strategies that are geared towards young people as a result of the settlement. This includes social media marketing campaigns and advertising near schools. Juul will also stop sponsoring concerts or sporting events. According to The News & Observer, Juul cannot advertise with models younger than 35 years of age in the state. Juul products must be sold behind counters at stores. Juul will also be fined $40 million by the state.North Carolina has become the first state to hold Juul responsible for inciting the youth vaping epidemic and the subsequent nicotine addiction. Josh Stein, North Carolina's attorney general, stated this in a press release today.Juul will send undercover teens agents to 1000 stores every year in order to ensure that Juul products don't get sold to anyone under 18.The settlement is consistent in our ongoing effort at resetting our company and our relationship with our stakeholders as we continue to fight underage smoking and reduce harm for adult smokers, a spokesperson for the company stated to The Verge.Although this is the first lawsuit Juul has settled regarding its deceptive marketing tactics, it's not the only one. According to CNBC, the company is facing similar lawsuits in at most nine additional states. At least 100 schools have joined a nationwide lawsuit to recover costs related to anti-vaping campaigns. According to The News & Observer, similar lawsuits are being considered in 29 other states.Juul discontinued selling mango-flavored pods in 2019 to avoid these growing lawsuits. Soon after, Juul stopped selling mint-flavored pods. Juul can't introduce new flavors or levels of nicotine to the state under the North Carolina settlement without the FDA's prior approval. Juul and other electronic cigarettes products are currently being reviewed by the FDA.
