Coalition Of 39 States To Launch Investigation Into Juul’s Marketing Practices Amid Teenage Vaping Epidemic

The Associated Press: ‘A World Of Hurt’: 39 States To Investigate Juul’s Marketing
A coalition of 39 states will look into the marketing and sales of vaping products by Juul Labs, including whether the company targeted youths and made misleading claims about nicotine content in its devices, officials announced Tuesday. Attorneys general from Connecticut, Florida, Nevada, Oregon and Texas said they will lead the multi-state investigation into San Francisco-based Juul, which also is facing lawsuits by teenagers and others who say they became addicted to the company’s vaping products. (2/25)

Bloomberg: Juul Faces 39-State Probe Of E-Cigarette Marketing To Teens
The probe will also examine Juul’s claims about its products’ nicotine content and their effectiveness in helping longtime smokers quit, the states said in a joint statement. The bipartisan effort is being led by Connecticut, Florida, Nevada, Oregon and Texas. A similar coalition of states announced an investigation of opioid marketing in 2017. Many of those states — along with thousands of local and municipal governments — went on to file lawsuits against major opioid manufacturers and distributors, who are expected to pay tens of billions of dollars to settle claims. (Larson, 2/25)

Dallas Morning News: Texas Joins 39 States To Investigate E-Cigarette Maker Juul Labs
Texas is joining a 39-state investigation into Juul Labs, an e-cigarette maker whose vaping products have become popular with teenagers, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday. The bipartisan coalition — which includes officials from Connecticut, Florida, Nevada and Oregon — will look into the company’s marketing and sales practices, specifically whether Juul targeted underage users and misrepresented the health risks. The company is already facing lawsuits by teenagers and others who say they became addicted to the company’s vaping products. (Morris, 2/25)

In other tobacco news —

Roll Call: Stronger Cigarette Warnings Likely To Renew Legal Challenges 
By mid-March, the Food and Drug Administration is expected to require cigarette packs to carry stark images depicting the health consequences of smoking, but legal challenges are likely to slow the rule from taking effect more than a decade after Congress first called for it. The tobacco industry is likely to challenge the rule in court by pointing to the First Amendment, say lawyers following the rule-making. (Siddons, 2/26)