| On November 23, e-cig giant JUUL Labs entered a settlement agreement with the state of Arizona over claims that it fueled the vape epidemic by marketing its products to minors. Arizona is the second state to settle with JUUL with another 2,000+ lawsuits still pending.
One component of the settlement will require retailers of JUUL products to adopt age-verification compliance systems including a strict penalty system for retailers that fail compliance checks. Age-verification systems must be in place by May 2022.
Many other components of the settlement are aimed at ensuring that JUUL products are not marketed or sold to underage individuals.
In addition, JUUL will pay $14.5 Million to the state. $12.5 Million will go to anti-addiction programs and the balance will go to a general consumer protection fund and towards litigation expenses.
JUUL’s application to the federal Food and Drug Administration for premarket tobacco application (PMTA) approval of its products is still pending.
APMA is working with JUUL and NACS to host a webinar for Arizona retailers to understand what they will need to do and what resources are available to help. Save the date for Thursday, January 6, 2022 from 2 – 3 pm. Registration details coming soon.
Read more here: JUUL to Pay $14.5 Mln to Settle AZ Lawsuit over Youth Marketing (Reuters); AG Brnovich Reaches $14.5 Million Settlement with JUUL (AZAG.gov) |
