Juul to pay North Carolina $40 million after allegedly targeting young people with e-cigarettes

Juul
(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The e-cigarette company Juul is set to pay $40 million to North Carolina after being accused of targeting young people with its products.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein announced the settlement with Juul on Monday, alleging the company "targeted young people, including teens, with its highly addictive e-cigarette," and "lit the spark and fanned the flames of a vaping epidemic among our children," The Washington Post reports. The state had also accused Juul of "misrepresenting the potency and danger of nicotine in its products."

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A Juul spokesperson said that this agreement "is consistent with our ongoing effort to reset our company and its relationship with our stakeholders, as we continue to combat underage usage and advance the opportunity for harm reduction for adult smokers," but the company denied wrongdoing or liability. North Carolina's lawsuit against Juul had been set to go to trial in July, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Stein said Monday the $40 million that Juul will pay the state over six years will "fund programs to help people quit e-cigarettes, prevent e-cigarette addiction, and research e-cigarettes."

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.