CHICAGO — Illinois will receive millions of dollars in settlement money from one of the country’s prominent e-cigarette and vape manufacturers.
Announced Wednesday morning by New York Attorney General Letitia James, Juul’s role in the youth vaping epidemic across the country will cost the company at least $462 million.
“Juul lit a nationwide public health crisis by putting addictive products in the hands of minors and convincing them that it’s harmless,” James said in a statement. “Today they are paying the price for the harm they caused.”
The agreement with New York, California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Mexico and Washington, D.C. marks the latest in a string of recent legal settlements Juul has reached across the country with cities and states.
Last month, the company paid Chicago $23.8 million to settle a lawsuit.
New York, alone, is set to receive more than $112 million. Illinois’ allotted amount is currently unknown.
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The case started back in 2019 when New York’s AG sued Juul, alleging the company violated the state’s business laws by misleading consumers about the nicotine in its products, misrepresenting how safe it is to vape, and glamorizing the habit with colorful ads and fun flavors to appeal to the nation’s youth.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, between 2016 and 2018, e-cigarette use amongst high school seniors across the state increased from 18.4% to 26.7%, a 45% increase.
In that same period, eighth graders’ usage increased by 15% and a 65% jump among 10th graders.
Some of the restrictions to be placed on Juul now include the following:
- A limit on the number of purchases an individual can make
- The company must refrain from marketing that directly or indirectly targets youth
- Juul must also refrain from providing free or nominally priced samples of Juul pods
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Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said the joint effort culminating in the settlement announced on Wednesday is one step in the fight against the youth vaping epidemic, adding that the implemented restrictions and the money will help states combat “which Jull largely helped create.”
Juul is required under the agreement to make the first payments within 90 days.
In September, Juul agreed to pay nearly $440 million over a period of six to 10 years to settle a two-year investigation by 33 states into the marketing of its high-nicotine vaping products to young people.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
