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Virginia investigating Juul's marketing of vaping products

Vaping-Investigation
Posted at 1:00 PM, Feb 25, 2020
and last updated 2020-02-25 13:57:34-05

RICHMOND, Va. - Attorney General Mark Herring announced that he has joined a multi-state investigation of JUUL labs.

39 states have agreed to investigate JUUL's marketing and sales practices, including the targeting of the youth. Sates will also investigate the claims regarding nicotine content and the overall risks , safety, and efficacy of smoking the device.

“The number of young people in Virginia and across the country who are vaping or using e-cigarettes is truly a public health crisis," Attorney General Herring says. While we have made great strides in reducing the number of young people who use more traditional tobacco-based products, we are now, unfortunately, seeing the number of Virginia teens vaping and using e-cigarettes climb at an alarming rate.”

Traditional cigarette smoking has declined among youth, but the use of e-cigarettes have sky rocketed.

According to the Virginia Department of Health, in 2017 teen cigarette use in Virginia was at an all-time low at 6.5 percent, but at least 11.8 percent of teens said that they currently vaped or used e-cigarettes, and that number continues to rise.

The Virginia Department of Health says young adults who use e-cigarettes are six times more likely to begin smoking traditional cigarettes.

The National Youth Tobacco Survey reports that in 2019 more than 5 million youth reported having used a vaping device within the past 30 days.

Other states such as Florida, Nevada, and Texas will join in on the investigation of JUUL.

The Associated Press reports, Juul released a statement saying it has halted television, print and digital advertising and eliminated most flavors in response to concerns by government officials and others.