Recently JUUL has been in a lot of news stories because of their contribution to what some people are calling the teen vaping 'epidemic'. They have been in and out of the court room, and are currently battling a lawsuit filed by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, saying the company violated state law by promoting their product to youth. Now, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has just announced that the state will be conducting an investigation into JUUL's smoking cessation claims.
Recap
Before I get into this new investigation, I'll just give you a brief overview of the events so far.
Basically, JUUL Labs' representatives went in front of US Congress for Economic and Consumer policy in the last week of July because of the lawsuit filed by Mass. Attorney General mentioned above. The hearing was to determine whether or not JUUL has had a major impact on teen vaping. The result at the end of the hearing - which can be watched in full here - was that more research needed to be done, however it's very clear by the way the committee absolutely drilled into JUUL and the answers and explanations provided by the vape company that JUUL's marketing is not looking good, to say the least.
On top of all of this, JUUL Labs is currently involved in four different lawsuits across the states of Florida, Pennsylvania, and New York by parents who's children became heavily addicted to nicotine using their product. In San Fransisco, another class-action suit has been filed by two adults.
Okay, got it. Now, about Connecticut...
The Attorney General in Connecticut is launching a massive investigation into JUUL in light of a recent study released by Yale. Essentially, JUUL has been using a substance that has been banned from cigarettes because of the damages it's caused. This substance, turned to vapour, has the potential to cause irritation in the airway of the user. According to the study, the level of this substance, called Vanillin, that is used in one JUUL pod is almost the same as the safety limits for workplaces that use the same substance - like bakeries.
JUUL countered the announcement by claiming that the only way this substance can be considered dangerous to the human body is if someone were to consume JUUL pods in large doses - 7 pods a day, to be exact.
Conclusion
As of right now, there haven't been any counters back from the Attorney General. I'm sure we'll hear more in the near future, if not from Connecticut, from more parents, JUUL users, and states suing the company. I'll be sure to keep you guys updated on what happens next in the thrilling tale of JUUL ruining vaping for people who are actually trying to quit smoking.
Thanks for reading guys, be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you're thinking!
What's next for JUUL? Do you think the vaping industry as a whole is going to take a hit because of JUUL?
