Juul to Pay North Carolina $40 Million to Settle Teen Vaping Suit

E-cigarette maker Juul Labs agreed to pay North Carolina $40 million to settle a lawsuit that claimed the company’s marketing practices encouraged teenagers to vape, The New York Times reports.

The company has numerous other legal actions pending against it. Thirteen other states and the District of Columbia have filed similar suits, the article notes.

In a letter to acting Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Janet Woodcock, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein urged the agency to prohibit all non-tobacco flavors, including menthol, in e-cigarettes. He also called on the FDA to limit the amount of nicotine in e-cigarette products and impose marketing restrictions to prevent appealing to young people.

Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said the settlement has positive elements, including marketing and sales restrictions and public disclosure of Juul documents uncovered in the lawsuit. But these measures do not go far enough, Myers said in a statement. “Marketing and sales restrictions are not enough to end this youth addiction crisis, as demonstrated by the fact that Juul remained the most popular e-cigarette brand among kids in 2020 even after the company voluntarily adopted similar restrictions,” he said.