MADISON (WKBT) — Wisconsin and 32 other states have finalized an agreement with e-cigarette maker Juul Labs.
Attorney General Josh Kaul announced that of the $435 million settlement, Wisconsin’s share will be $14.7 million.
“This agreement is the result of a bipartisan effort to hold JUUL accountable for marketing e-cigarettes to young people,” Kaul said. “We must continue working to keep kids safe from e-cigarettes.”
Juul Labs was accused of “relentlessly” marketing to underage youth despite it being illegal for them to purchase and the known health risks of their products. The DOJ says the multistate investigation also revealed that Juul misled consumers about the amount of nicotine in their products via packaging as well as marketing the product as a smoking cessation device without FDA approval to make those claims.
As part of the settlement, JUUL has agreed to refrain from:
- Youth marketing
- Funding education programs
- Depicting persons under age 35 in any marketing
- Use of cartoons
- Paid product placement
- Sale of brand name merchandise
- Sale of flavors not approved by FDA
- Allowing access to websites without age verification on landing page
- Representations about nicotine not approved by FDA
- Misleading representations about nicotine content
- Sponsorships/naming rights
- Advertising in outlets unless 85% audience is adult
- Advertising on billboards
- Public transportation advertising
- Social media advertising (other than testimonials by individuals over the age of 35, with no health claims)
- Use of paid influencers
- Direct-to-consumer ads unless age-verified, and
- Free samples
The agreement also includes sales and distribution restrictions, including where the product may be displayed/accessed in stores, online sales limits, retail sales limits, age verification on all sales, and a retail compliance check protocol.
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