What to Know
- Philadelphia has filed a lawsuit against Juul Labs, accusing the company of being responsible for what city health officials call an epidemic of e-cigarette use among teens and young people.
- The lawsuit announced Wednesday was filed in California, the home of Juul Labs. Philadelphia officials allege that Juul intentionally marketed its products to young people.
- Juul said Wednesday that it will continue to work to “combat underage use" and and will respond to the allegations “through the appropriate legal channels.”
Philadelphia has filed a lawsuit against Juul Labs, accusing the company of being responsible for what city health officials call an epidemic of e-cigarette use among teens and young people.
The city is the latest in a long string of states (including Pennsylvania), cities and other municipal entities to file a lawsuit against the company over use of electronic nicotine devices by young people. The lawsuit announced Wednesday was filed in California, the home of Juul Labs.
Philadelphia officials allege that Juul intentionally marketed its products to young people, saying Philadelphia health studies have recorded dramatic increases in e-cigarette use among school-aged children after years of declines in regular cigarette use.
Juul said Wednesday that it will continue to work to “combat underage use and transition adult smokers from combustible cigarettes” and will respond to the lawsuit's allegations “through the appropriate legal channels.”
Earlier this month Juul announced a collaboration with nonprofit We Card aimed at preventing sales of age-restricted products to minors.
The 2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey reported about 1.8 million fewer U.S. youth currently using e-cigarettes compared to last year but said 3.6 million youth are still currently using e-cigarettes.
