Filed by the Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul last week, the lawsuit alleges that Juul Labs Inc. has combined the attractiveness of its sleek design and fruity flavours, to mask a strong nicotine solution. “Juul had a central role in undoing years of work by government agencies and anti-tobacco activists in order to addict a whole new generation to nicotine,” it states.
Additionally, stated Raoul in the suit, the e-cig manufacturer only changed its strategy and started marketing its product, after facing serious scrutiny for its teen-friendly marketing tactics. “Juul’s product is not approved by the FDA as a smoking cessation device and has not put forth credible evidence to support such approval,” continues the lawsuit. “However, Juul continues to market its product as if it did so.”
Similarly last month, the state of California sued San Francisco-based Juul, alleging that the e-cig manufacturer has engaged in a “systematic” and “wildly successful” campaign, to hook minors on its products.
The lawsuit was filed in the federal district court for the middle district of Florida. In what is certainly one of the consequences of Juul striking a deal with a tobacco company, one of the first complaints of this suit is that since Altria bought a 35% stake in Juul, Juul’s infrastructure has been corrupted and is using the same fraudulent marketing measures that the tobacco company itself has used.
Juul remains teens’ preferred vaping device
Meanwhile, newly released data about Juul by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, has found that teenagers surveyed in 2019 preferred the manufacturer’s mint and mango flavours. However, mint was the most popular flavour amongst 10th- and 12th-grade Juul users and the second most popular flavor among eighth-grade users in 2019. Additionally, of the surveyed students, 18% reported recent e-cigarette use, with nearly 13% saying they use Juul.
In response to this Juul had announced that it will now also ban mint pods, leaving only menthol and its two tobacco flavoured products for sale. “These results are unacceptable and that is why we must reset the vapor category in the U.S. and earn the trust of society by working cooperatively with regulators, attorneys general, public health officials and other stakeholders to combat underage use,” said K.C. Crosthwaite, Juul’s recently appointed CEO.
Read Further: CNN
