Juul Labs Inc., a popular e-cigarette company that launched in 2015, is now valued at $38 billion after becoming increasingly popular in 2018 and 2019, mainly profiting off sales to young adults. E-cigarettes are not a new concept, but Juul has recently been making headlines in a less than positive context. Many teens and parents are filing class-action lawsuits against the company, claiming that the company specifically targeted minors and fraudulently hid information about the dangers of the product.
What Is a Juul?
“Juuls” are flash drive-sized devices that contain high amounts of nicotine—enough to be considered more harmful than a regular cigarette. Research shows that the device is made to deliver high levels of nicotine into the bloodstream at a faster rate than a typical cigarette.
The company’s original branding message was that the device is safer than a cigarette and could be used to help users quit smoking. Now that new information is coming out declaring this statement as false, the company could be in significant trouble.
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Issues Concerning Juuls
Currently, Juul is dominating 68 percent of the e-cigarette market in the US, selling pods that contain 5 percent nicotine. In Europe and Britain, the legal limit for nicotine products is noticeably lower at 1.7 percent.
Claims that Juul markets toward the youth are one of the main causes of complaints by customers. While a user must enter their birthdate to sign up for Juul, if the person’s age is below the legal age requirement to use the products, they will still be added to the mailing list and receive promotional offers.
It is also argued that when Juul sells sweet flavors. they are marketing towards a younger crowd. Statistics show that older people are more likely to stick to tobacco and mint flavors.
Since Juul claims to create their products for adults who smoke cigarettes and want to quit, it would seem reasonable to place focus on more traditional cigarette flavors. Yet, the company is releasing three-percent nicotine tobacco and mint-flavored pod and is keeping the fruity and sweet flavors that young people are attracted to at five percent nicotine.
Juul Hiding Their Intentions
In 2015, a research and development engineer stated that Juul Labs Inc. does not focus on addiction because they are not trying to put an end to smoking at all. Typical programs and companies that are designed to help smokers quit their addiction are short-term tools meant for the smoker to wean themselves off tobacco and nicotine altogether.
Given the high levels of nicotine in Juul products and the rate at which it enters your bloodstream, it is unlikely that the company’s intentions were to wean people off smoking. Tobacco Control published a study that shows that 63 percent of Juul users between the ages of 15 and 24 were unaware of the nicotine they were consuming, demonstrating that Juul is not forthright with all the information about their product.
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Contacting a Lawyer About Juul Suits
If you or a loved one has suffered addiction or illness from Juul pods and were unaware of the dangers associated with Juuls, you may have legal options available to you. Contact Laborde Earles today for help filing a claim.
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