North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein recently filed a lawsuit against e-cigarette company JUUL for its marketing tactics towards young people. Stein argues that these practices have played a role in creating “an epidemic among minors.” This statement is supported by, among other evidence, a 2017 report that revealed 17 percent of all North Carolina high school students had used an e-cigarette within the last 30 days.
Stein’s investigation, which began last fall, hopes to show that JUUL failed to highlight the potency and danger of nicotine. If found guilty, the e-cigarette company would be in violation of North Carolina’s Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
Notable Increase in E-Cigarette Usage
“JUUL’s business practices are not only reckless — they’re illegal,” Stein shared. “We cannot allow another generation of young people to become addicted to nicotine.” He also revealed that the average potency of a JUUL pod is nearly three times the concentration allowed for sale for people of all ages in countries around the world.
Within the last year, e-cigarette use has increased among high schoolers across the country by 78 percent and middle-schoolers by 48 percent. North Carolina is the first state to come forward with allegations against JUUL.
For more information about the investigation into JUUL, contact us today.
Additional Reading:
JUUL Labs Faces “Substantive Scientific Review” from the FDA
Tracy Everhart
Tracy Everhart is the Editor for Drug Law Journal. A highly-trained and certified medical professional, Tracy is also an accomplished medical writer. After spending years on the front lines of the medical profession, Tracy now devotes her expertise and skills to researching and reporting on new drugs and devices that enter the market, as well as their side-effects and the real-life stories involved. Prior to joining Drug Law Journal, Tracy wrote for benchmark online healthcare resources focused on families and, in particular, women’s health issues. Tracy holds post-graduate degrees from both the American College of Healthcare Sciences and the Yale School of Nursing. She is also a graduate of both Hampshire College, where she studied microbiology and the University of South Carolina school of nursing.
