E-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc. has agreed to pay the state of Florida $79 million in a settlement after a lawsuit filed in 2023 alleged Juul marketed its products to underage users.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said on Monday that as a result of the settlement, Juul will not take any action to reach youth in Florida in the advertising, promotion or marketing of its products. The settlement said the money will be paid over seven years, with $30 million of which will go toward the Vape Free Florida Fund to aid in the enforcement of the state’s nicotine and vapor laws at the direction of the attorney general.
“Florida has been a leader in the fight to end teen vaping, and I’m proud to announce this monumental settlement with Juul,” said Uthmeier.
The litigation alleged that Juul created a technology-focused vaping device that could be easily concealed from parents by children and sold its nicotine products in flavors known to be attractive to underage users, the attorney general’s office said.
“Juul Labs is pleased to announce a final resolution with the state of Florida,” the company said in a statement on Monday. “Importantly, this agreement will fund efforts to combat the illegal and untested e-vapor products from China currently flooding Florida’s market. We commend the attorney general and his predecessor for their proactivity in taking these important steps to address this problem.”
The Washington, D.C.-based electronic-cigarette company added that it looks forward to continuing its work with Florida’s leaders, law enforcement, policymakers and other state stakeholders to “rid the market of untested, unregulated, and illegal Chinese vapes and pave the way for a market of high-quality, American products to benefit the nearly two million Floridian adults who continue to smoke and deserve scientifically-validated smoke-free alternatives.”
Additional terms of the settlement from the attorney general’s office include:
- Juul shall not use models under the age of 35 in its advertising.
- Juul shall not use brand names or cartoons in any of its advertising.
- Juul shall not have its product or logo placed in TV or movies.
- Juul shall not make any claims or representations comparing the quantification of the amount of nicotine in Juul products to that found in combustible tobacco products.
- Juul shall not advertise products in media or outlets in Florida unless, according to nationally established advertising demographic services, 85% or more of the audience of the media are not youth.
- Juul shall not use billboards in Florida.
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