Adam Hergenreder, an 18-year-old from Illinois, has accused Juul of marketing e-cigarettes to young people, and said that vaping has caused him irreparable damage. “I’m 18 years old. My lungs are like a 70-year-old’s,” he told CBS while in hospital. “My lungs will never be the same.”
Hergenreder has admitted that besides vaping e-liquids purchased from vape shops, he has also vaped THC, which he got from a drug dealer.
However, the cases of vape-related lung disease reported across the States have been linked to vaping unlicensed THC and nicotine products. In fact Hergenreder has admitted that besides vaping e-liquids purchased from vape shops, he has also vaped THC, which he bought from a drug dealer.
In line with the above, a new study has looked into 53 cases by patients in Illinois and Wisconsin, who had vaped within 90 days of their symptoms. Most of these patients, 84%, admitted to vaping illegally purchased cannabis products.
Meanwhile Mr. Hergenreder claims that he first started vaping “because everyone else was doing it”, saying that he was unaware of any health risks from e-cigarettes. The lawsuit claims that Juul markets its products in a way to encourage young people to start using them, and that they never fully name the dangerous chemicals found in their pods.
Juul Labs: “Our product should only be used by smokers seeking to quit”
Meanwhile, exiting CEO of Juul Labs Kevin Burns, has made it clear that their device should only be used for smoking cessation and harm reduction purposes, and that non-smokers should not start using nicotine containing products such as Juul.
“Don’t vape. Don’t use Juul,” said Burns in an interview with Tony Dokoupil on CBS This Morning. “Don’t start using nicotine if you don’t have a preexisting relationship with nicotine. Don’t use the product. You’re not our target consumer.”
When asked by Dokoupil whether Juul is safer than cigarettes, for obvious reasons Burns wouldn’t comment. “I’m not gonna comment about where I am in terms of that,” he said. Besides the numerous lawsuits faced by Juul, Connecticut’s Attorney General William Tong has also recently announced that he is “investigating” JUUL Labs to check whether the company has actually claimed that their device can be used for smoking cessation, saying that such a claim would be unlawful.
Read Further: Independent
