Juul, an electronic cigarette manufacturer, and North Carolina reached a settlement to settle claims that Juul targeted youth with its highly addictive products. This led to a rise in vaping.Juul, while denying any wrongdoings, has agreed to pay North Carolina $40 million over six-years. The company will also adhere to a set of restrictions that prevents the promotion or sale of its products to children. Juul will not use advertising that appeals to youth. It will also avoid social media advertising and influencers. Juul will not sponsor entertainment or sports events.In addition, the company agreed to enforce age restrictions through a secret shopper programme. Juul will send 21- to 27-year-old undercover agents to at least 50 Tar-Heel State stores per month to verify that buyers are of the correct age.After years of accusations and fierce criticism, Juul settled the matter. Critics claim that Juul deliberately and egregiously targeted teenagers in its advertisements and marketing campaigns. This was a direct cause of high levels of vaping among teens. According to a Massachusetts Attorney General Maura HEADYYYYYYYYYYYY, Juul's 2015 and 2016 marketing campaigns included ads on sites like Cartoon Networks cartoonnetwork.com as well as Nickelodeons sites Nick.com/NickJr.com. In summer 2019, congressional testimony revealed that Juul representatives made presentations to teenagers in schools without parental consent or teachers present.AdvertisementCases won and lostThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that high school students used e-cigarettes at a rate of 1.5 percent in 2011, and 27.5 percent in 2019. This means that more than one-fourth of high school students had used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days as of the 2019 survey. This percentage dropped to just under 20 percent in 2020 after a crackdown on Juul advertising, and sales of flavored products. The federal government increased the vaping age to 21.The North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein views the settlement as a further step towards reducing teen e-cigarette usage.JUUL, a highly addictive e-cigarette, targeted teens for years. Stein stated that the JUUL e-cigarette ignited the fire and caused a vaping epidemic among children in North Carolina. This victory will help keep JUUL products out the hands of children, keeping their chemical vapor out their lungs, as well as keeping their nicotine from poisoning or addicting their brains.Juul stated that the settlement was consistent with our ongoing efforts to reset our company's relationship with its stakeholders. We continue to fight underage smoking and reduce harm for adult smokers...We seek to continue to build trust through action.Juul is just beginning to move legally after the North Carolina lawsuit has been resolved. Other states, including Massachusetts have also filed lawsuits against Juul. According to the Associated Press, 39 state attorneys general are also working together since February 2020 in an investigation into the company's products and marketing. The company is also facing hundreds of personal injury cases, which were consolidated into a California federal case.
