Juul Labs Agrees To Begin Paying $6 Million To North Dakota

Here's the part where my grasp of the concept of e-cigarettes and vaping becomes a little cloudy. I'm sure there are nicotine-free vape options for either enjoyment or as a tobacco substitute. And I'm sure people will point out the obvious differences between a huge variety of "smoking" options. Many I'm also sure may contain no smoke at all.

This is a story of getting your hand caught in the cookie jar

So that lady is vaping something...but Juul's products are much sleeker.

From the Juul website...y'know, if ya got an order.

Our e-liquid contains a proprietary formulation that combines nicotine, benzoic acid, glycerol, propylene glycol, and flavor.

 

Together with temperature-regulated vapor technology, this proprietary chemistry enables JUUL to deliver a vapor experience like no other...

Sounds icky right?

But I bet it's cool as hell if nobody wants you to do it.

Do you remember your first cigarette? beer? cup of coffee? or god forbid- chewing tobacco? Nope, marketing and peer pressure are powerful things.  Seems Juul got caught marketing to young folks, which is what smart marketers do. Here's the part where Juul got caught with its hand in the cookie jar.

Tobacco walked (was driven) away from youth advertising decades ago.  No more Joe Camel or NASCAR Winston Cup (a brand of cigarette), nope tobacco now has to count on the addictive nature of its product for client retention.

Juul got cocky and became the focus of the "do something about it" movement.

Too sleek, too sexy, too alluring, and too toxic for pink young lungs. When our kids started vaping (puffing whatever), we in the great state of North Dakota had quite enough.  Plus, Juul Labs is a pretty rich target. So tell them to grab their CEOs and lawyers and meet us in DC.

From Attorney General Drew Wrigley's State website.

JUUL was, until recently, the dominant player in the vaping market. The multistate investigation revealed that JUUL attained this position by willfully engaging in an advertising campaign that appealed to youth, even though its e-cigarettes are both illegal for them to purchase and are unhealthy for youth to use.

The investigation found that JUUL relentlessly marketed to underage users with launch parties, advertisements using young and trendy-looking models, social media posts and free samples.

It marketed a technology-focused, sleek design that could be easily concealed and sold its product in flavors known to be attractive to underage users. JUUL also manipulated the chemical composition of its product to make the vapor less harsh on the throats of the young and inexperienced users. To preserve its young customer base, JUUL relied on age verification techniques that it knew were ineffective.

 

They were powerful sorry.  Obviously a misunderstanding.

They were a wounded bird, and North Dakota was one of 34 states to profit from clipping their wings. $438.5 million total.  Juul pays and agrees not to pander to younger people not yet addicted to their product.  Seems wishful thinking. Our $6 million is being spread out over a period of six to ten years.

Could somebody keep an eye on that?