Texas, JUUL reach $43 million settlement over marketing that targeted underage youths

Teen who was addicted to vaping talks to Fort Worth ISD students about dangers of e-cigs

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a $43.3 million settlement against JUUL Labs for marketing and sales practices that targeted teens.

The settlement is part of a larger $434.9 million resolution between the e-cigarette manufacturer and 33 states and territories.

In addition to the money the settlement restricts how JUUL can market its products, including a prohibition on marketing targeted at youth, limits on in-store displays and access, online sales limits, retail sales limits, age verification requirements on all sales, and a retail compliance check protocol.

"This settlement makes important progress towards ensuring that JUUL is held accountable for its attempts to entice our young people with deceptive advertising," said Paxton in a statement Wednesday. "After a two-year investigation, it’s clear that JUUL violated the law, and I’m proud to say that my office has been helping lead the charge to ensure JUUL never takes advantage of young people again."

An investigation into JUUL was launched in 2020 and led by Paxton along with the attorneys general from Connecticut and Oregon.

It revealed that JUUL willfully used advertising that appealed to underage youths. JUUL also relied on age verification techniques that young people could easily get around, according to the investigation.