Juul Labs was expected to agree to pay $438.5 million to settle an investigation by nearly three dozen states focusing on the company’s sales and marketing practices it says fueled the crisis. Teen vaping crisis.
The investigation found that the company attracted young people by hiring young models, using social media to flirt with teenagers and handing out free samples. William Tong, Connecticut’s attorney general, said in a press conference that the investigation found that the company had a “styrofoam” age verification system for its products and that 45% of its Twitter followers They are between the ages of 13 and 17.
“We think this will go a long way in stopping the wave of youth vaping,” said Mr. “We are under no illusions and cannot claim that it will stop youth vaping. It continues to be an epidemic. It continues to be a big problem. But we’ve essentially eliminated a large part of what was once the market leader.”
Juul said Tuesday that the agreement “is an important part of our ongoing commitment to address past issues. The terms of the agreement align with our current business practices, which we began doing after a company-wide reset in the fall of 2019.”
But the company said it did not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement.
The proposed agreement prohibits the company from marketing to teenagers, funding education in schools, and misrepresenting nicotine levels in its products. Juul discontinued some marketing and recalled many flavored pods appealing to teenagers, under public pressure from lawmakers, parents and medical professionals several years ago when The vaping crisis is at its peak.
The company’s ability to continue selling products has been questioned in recent months. In June, the Food and Drug Administration announced that it refused The company’s request for marketing authorization to sell vapes, said its apps lacked evidence to prove they would benefit public health. The agency also cited “incomplete and conflicting” data from the company. The company quickly went to court and was temporary recovery.
The company responded a few days later that it had helped two million adult smokers quit combustible cigarettes and disapproved of the agency’s conclusion about the chemicals in their products. The FDA then announced that it would allow the products to remain on the market pending additional review of “scientific issues”.
