Colorado to receive $31 million settlement from Juul

Stems from nationwide case

BY OLIVIA PRENTZEL THE COLORADO SUN

Colorado is expected to receive $31.7 million from electronic cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs in a multistate settlement over claims the company used deceptive marketing tactics and promoted products to teens, the state’s attorney general announced April 11.

e lawsuit, led in 2020, claimed Juul was misrepresenting the health risks of their vapes and targeted young people by hiring social media in uencers to promote e-cigarettes and brand ambassadors to give free samples to teens at Colorado convenience stores.

“ is settlement is a victory for the state of Colorado and everyone who fell victim to Juul’s reckless, deceptive, and unconscionable marketing tactics,” Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement. “While no amount of money or new restrictions on Juul’s business practices can undo the harms caused by the teen vaping epidemic, this settlement will make great strides toward reducing it and can support young people who are hurting now more than ever.” e settlement funds will be used solely to address tobacco prevention and teen mental health programs,

Vapes typically contain the same addictive nicotine as other tobacco products.

Weiser said in a news conference, despite a news release his o ce sent earlier that said it would be used in part to cover attorneys’ fees.

“ at $31 million is going to be dedicated entirely to supporting young people who have su ered both from a public health and from a mental health perspective,” Weiser said. “ e kids are not OK. Right now they’re su ering. is vaping epidemic is part of that, it has in icted harms that remain and that need to be addressed.” e attorney general’s o ce will send $167,000 to the National Association of Attorneys General to reimburse them for a grant they provided for investigation and litigation costs, according to the settlement.

Under the settlement agreement, Juul will be prohibited from using those marketing tactics in the future, Weiser said. e company will also be required to hire a compliance o cer and provide the public opportunities to review documentation of their compliance with the agreement.

Most recent state data shows that 16% of Colorado teens reported they had vaped in the past month. When Colorado led the suit, the state had the highest rate of vaping teenagers in the nation at 27%, double the nation average, according to the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey.

Juul has settled lawsuits with 47 states and territories, paying more than $1 billion, the company said.

“With this settlement, we are nearing total resolution of the company’s historical legal challenges and securing certainty for our future,” a company spokesman said. “Since our companywide reset in the fall of 2019, underage use of JUUL products has declined by 95% based on the National Youth Tobacco Survey.”

Colorado sued Juul with other attorneys general, including from California, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Mexico and New York. e total settlement was $462 million.

Late last year, Juul announced it settled more than 5,000 cases brought by about 10,000 plainti s in the U.S., sidestepping a substantial amount of legal issues for the company.

“ ese settlements represent a major step toward strengthening Juul Labs’ operations and securing the company’s path forward to ful ll its mission to transition adult smokers away from combustible cigarettes while combating underage use,” the company said in a news release. is story is from e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support e Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. e Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

Roxanne Aviles, a district parent who plans to run for a school board seat later this year, wrote to the Elbert County News on April 18 with her concerns about Booth. “A board member has no business speaking about any district sta publicly, or the issues that that board member has with said sta , and doing so violates the district’s code of conduct policies” Aviles wrote. “Heather Booth has disclosed con dential school safety information during public school board meetings, putting our students’ and school district sta ’s safety at risk.”

Booth argues that she has ful lled her campaign promises and that the recall e ort is unfounded.

“In 2021 I was elected by the people of Elizabeth based on Conservatives for Kids. My opponents have led this recall because I’m keepUnited States. ey don’t teach constitutional American History and American Exceptionalism. Heather stands up for our rights as parents and calls out the radical left with their mask, school closures and ERT socialist agenda. I voted for Heather and I’m glad I did! She’s got my support 100%.”

Others are fearful of the conservative uniformity of the board and believe that members are putting politics over the education of Elizabeth’s children.

“ e sta of the Elizabeth School District has lost trust in our school board and our current school board has lost vision of what matters most, our children and the teachers in the district,” Aviles wrote to the Elbert County News. “As a parent, I expect my children to be able to attend our schools and receive the best possible education. For so long, this has been a desirable place to live because the district is small, and the schools are very good. But now that our board is a constant source of chaos instead of consistency, continuity, and calm, we are at major risk of losing our desirabil-