Sage Datko  |  December 6, 2019

Category: E-Cigarette

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Juul pods are at the center of controversy stemming from teen users.Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, Juul Labs continues to insist that its vaping and e-cigarette company did not intentionally market nicotine products to teens and minors.

Evidence Indicates Juul Pods Marketed to Underage Teens

While Juul maintains that it has not purposefully marketed nicotine products to teens, the company’s advertising history indicates otherwise. A June 2015 campaign called Vaporized featured advertisements and social media posts featuring young women wearing revealing outfits and holding Juul vape pens.

According to several people involved with the company’s sales force at the time, employees were confused about why Juul’s ads featured such young women. Rather than appeal to older smokers who were already addicted to nicotine, Juul ads appeared to target young people, who may or may not already smoke. Additionally, according to a 2018 study by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, approximately 80 percent of Juul’s Twitter followers were between the ages of 13 and 20.

Early marketing campaigns barely mentioned the presence of nicotine in the flavored Juul pods and vape pens. And in the company’s initial print campaign for the product, nicotine was only mentioned in small and hard to read letters. Recent surveys of young users indicate that more than 60 percent of teens who use Juul were unaware that the e-cigarettes always contain nicotine. Since Juul produces nicotine pods in a variety of kid-friendly flavors, many younger users may believe they are simply inhaling flavored vapor.

Juul co-founder James Monsees testified before Congress in July, insisting that “we never wanted any non-nicotine user and certainly nobody underage to ever use Juul products,” the New York Times reported.

Despite Juul’s insistence that it never intentionally marketed the Juul pods to teenagers or minors, the devices have always been popular with youth. In 2017, frequent online orders were made using the same fake Arizona driver’s license to get past the age verification system. Although orders using the fake license were not filled, employees felt that it was clear that teenagers were attempting to purchase the nicotine devices.

Juul also filed a patent in 2017 for a vaping device that contained a gaming mode and a party mode, allowing users to play games like Simon Says or set the device to light up and play music. Although the device was never made, youth advocates claim that the existence of the patent is evidence that Juul was not oblivious to its popularity with teens.

Teens May Be At Increased Risk for Juul Pods Side Effects

More than five million minors report using vapes and other e-cigarette devices. Because teenage brains are still developing, underage people who use nicotine products may be more likely to become addicted. Additionally, the side effects associated with Juul pods and other vape products, such as seizures, heart problems, and vaping lung illnesses, are also extremely dangerous.

In response to criticism of the company’s advertising, as well as the increase in reports of vape-related heart and lung illnesses, Juul has stopped selling most flavored pods, including discontinuing mint, the most popular flavor among teens. The company has halted all broadcast, print, and digital advertising, and is pushing retailers to adopt a new age-verification system meant to block illegal sales to minors.

Join a Free E-Cigarette Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you or your child became addicted to nicotine after smoking e-cigarettes and/or suffered health side effects, you may be eligible to participate in an e-cigarette nicotine addiction lawsuit investigation. See if you qualify by filling out this form for a free case evaluation.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.

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