Funds from $112.7 Million Settlement with JUUL for its Role in the Youth Vaping EpidemicMoney Will Help Young New Yorkers Quit Vaping and Support Anti-Vaping ProgramsNew York Attorney General Letitia James distributed $27.1 million to New York City from a historic $462 million multistate settlement that she secured from JUUL Labs Inc. (JUUL) for its role in the youth vaping epidemic that led to a dangerous rise in underage e-cigarette use nationwide. New York state will receive a total of $112.7 million through this settlement, which Attorney General James will distribute to every county, Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), and the five largest cities in the state to support programs that will help reduce and prevent underage vaping.
The funds will be split between the city and the New York City School District, with $12,192,627.67 from the settlement going to the city and $14,972,656.67 going to the school district.
“JUUL created a nationwide public health crisis by sparking a wave of addiction among children,” said Attorney General James. “Young people are suffering because JUUL built its business by marketing addictive e-cigarettes to kids. Thanks to our efforts to hold JUUL accountable, New York City will receive over $27 million for valuable programs to fight back against the youth vaping epidemic. Our children’s health is on the line, and these funds will be used for education, prevention, enforcement, and research to keep our kids safe.”
After JUUL launched in 2015, e-cigarette use by New York City high school students increased three-fold from 8.1 percent in 2014 to 23.5 percent by 2018. By 2019, the proliferation of vaping led to a national outbreak of severe vaping-related illnesses, with more than 2,500 hospitalizations. In October 2019, a 17-year-old male from the Bronx died due to a vaping-related illness, making him the first reported vaping-related fatality in New York, and the youngest vaping-related fatality in the United States.
In November 2019, Attorney General James sued JUUL for its deceptive and misleading marketing that glamorized vaping and targeted young people. In April 2023, Attorney General James secured the largest multistate agreement with JUUL and its former directors and executives for their role in fueling the youth vaping epidemic. JUUL misled consumers about the nicotine content of its products, misrepresented the safety and therapeutic value of its products by stating that they were safer than cigarettes, and failed to prevent minors from purchasing its products in stores across the country.
The settlement funds will be used for evidence-based measures to combat underage vaping and e-cigarette addiction. Counties and BOCES must dedicate the settlement funds they receive to programs in five categories:
- Public education campaigns to prevent e-cigarette use among young people
- Community, school, and university-based anti-vaping programs
- Vaping cessation services in communities, schools, and colleges
- Enforcement of vaping laws and regulations
- Public health research into e-cigarette use among young people and the effectiveness of anti-vaping programs
In addition to paying New York $112.7 million, the settlement required JUUL to make significant changes to its sales and marketing tactics, including:
- Refraining from any marketing that targets youth, including using anyone under the age of 35 in promotional material or funding, operating youth education/prevention campaigns, or sponsoring school related activities
- Limiting the amount of retail and online purchases an individual can make
- Performing regular retail compliance checks at five percent of New York’s retail stores that sell JUUL’s products for at least four years
- Treating synthetic nicotine as nicotine
- Refraining from providing free or nominally priced JUUL pods as samples to consumers
- Excluding product placement in virtual reality systems
- Increasing funding to a document depository by up to $5 million and adding millions of relevant documents to the depository to inform the public on how JUUL created a public health crisis.
“JUUL Labs has raked in billions of dollars while creating a public health crisis and putting thousands of teenagers on the path to addiction," said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Nicotine addiction among middle and high school youth is exploding and this administration will not sit idly by as nicotine-pushers continue to harm our youth. We are now taking millions in dollars from JUUL Labs and investing it directly into the community and in our youth through prevention, education, and enforcement efforts. I applaud Attorney General James for holding companies like JUUL Labs accountable for harming the health of our children. Together, we will continue to protect our young people, our families, and our communities.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James distributed $27.1 million to New York City from a historic $462 million multistate settlement that she secured from JUUL Labs Inc. (JUUL) for its role in the youth vaping epidemic that led to a dangerous rise in underage e-cigarette use nationwide. New York state will receive a total of $112.7 million through this settlement, which Attorney General James will distribute to every county, Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), and the five largest cities in the state to support programs that will help reduce and prevent underage vaping.
The funds will be split between the city and the New York City School District, with $12,192,627.67 from the settlement going to the city and $14,972,656.67 going to the school district.
“JUUL created a nationwide public health crisis by sparking a wave of addiction among children,” said Attorney General James. “Young people are suffering because JUUL built its business by marketing addictive e-cigarettes to kids. Thanks to our efforts to hold JUUL accountable, New York City will receive over $27 million for valuable programs to fight back against the youth vaping epidemic. Our children’s health is on the line, and these funds will be used for education, prevention, enforcement, and research to keep our kids safe.”
After JUUL launched in 2015, e-cigarette use by New York City high school students increased three-fold from 8.1 percent in 2014 to 23.5 percent by 2018. By 2019, the proliferation of vaping led to a national outbreak of severe vaping-related illnesses, with more than 2,500 hospitalizations. In October 2019, a 17-year-old male from the Bronx died due to a vaping-related illness, making him the first reported vaping-related fatality in New York, and the youngest vaping-related fatality in the United States.
In November 2019, Attorney General James sued JUUL for its deceptive and misleading marketing that glamorized vaping and targeted young people. In April 2023, Attorney General James secured the largest multistate agreement with JUUL and its former directors and executives for their role in fueling the youth vaping epidemic. JUUL misled consumers about the nicotine content of its products, misrepresented the safety and therapeutic value of its products by stating that they were safer than cigarettes, and failed to prevent minors from purchasing its products in stores across the country.
The settlement funds will be used for evidence-based measures to combat underage vaping and e-cigarette addiction. Counties and BOCES must dedicate the settlement funds they receive to programs in five categories:
- Public education campaigns to prevent e-cigarette use among young people
- Community, school, and university-based anti-vaping programs
- Vaping cessation services in communities, schools, and colleges
- Enforcement of vaping laws and regulations
- Public health research into e-cigarette use among young people and the effectiveness of anti-vaping programs
In addition to paying New York $112.7 million, the settlement required JUUL to make significant changes to its sales and marketing tactics, including:
- Refraining from any marketing that targets youth, including using anyone under the age of 35 in promotional material or funding, operating youth education/prevention campaigns, or sponsoring school related activities
- Limiting the amount of retail and online purchases an individual can make
- Performing regular retail compliance checks at five percent of New York’s retail stores that sell JUUL’s products for at least four years
- Treating synthetic nicotine as nicotine
- Refraining from providing free or nominally priced JUUL pods as samples to consumers
- Excluding product placement in virtual reality systems
- Increasing funding to a document depository by up to $5 million and adding millions of relevant documents to the depository to inform the public on how JUUL created a public health crisis.
“JUUL Labs has raked in billions of dollars while creating a public health crisis and putting thousands of teenagers on the path to addiction," said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Nicotine addiction among middle and high school youth is exploding and this administration will not sit idly by as nicotine-pushers continue to harm our youth. We are now taking millions in dollars from JUUL Labs and investing it directly into the community and in our youth through prevention, education, and enforcement efforts. I applaud Attorney General James for holding companies like JUUL Labs accountable for harming the health of our children. Together, we will continue to protect our young people, our families, and our communities.”
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