New York Attorney General Letitia James has distributed $27.1 million to New York City from a historic $462 million multi-state settlement that she secured from JUUL Labs Inc. (JUUL) for its role in the youth vaping epidemic that led to a dangerous rise in underage e-cigarette use nationwide.
New York state will receive a total of $112.7 million through this settlement, which Attorney General James will distribute to every county, Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), and the five largest cities in the state to support programs that will help reduce and prevent underage vaping, according to a news release.
At least $27 million of the funds will be split between the city and the New York City School District.
“JUUL created a nationwide public health crisis by sparking a wave of addiction among children,” said Attorney General James. “Young people are suffering because JUUL built its business by marketing addictive e-cigarettes to kids. Thanks to our efforts to hold JUUL accountable, New York City will receive over $27 million for valuable programs to fight back against the youth vaping epidemic. Our children’s health is on the line, and these funds will be used for education, prevention, enforcement, and research to keep our kids safe.”
After JUUL launched in 2015, e-cigarette use by New York City high school students increased three-fold from 8.1% in 2014 to 23.5% by 2018. By 2019, the proliferation of vaping led to a national outbreak of severe vaping-related illnesses, with more than 2,500 hospitalizations.
In October 2019, a 17-year-old male from the Bronx died due to a vaping-related illness, making him the first reported vaping-related fatality in New York, and the youngest vaping-related fatality in the United States.
“JUUL Labs has raked in billions of dollars while creating a public health crisis and putting thousands of teenagers on the path to addiction," said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. "Nicotine addiction among middle and high school youth is exploding and this administration will not sit idly by as nicotine-pushers continue to harm our youth. Today, we are taking millions in dollars from JUUL Labs and investing it directly into the community and in our youth through prevention, education, and enforcement efforts."
The settlement funds will be used for evidence-based measures to combat underage vaping and e-cigarette addiction. Counties and BOCES must dedicate the settlement funds they receive to programs in five categories:
- Public education campaigns to prevent e-cigarette use among young people
- Community, school, and university-based anti-vaping programs
- Vaping cessation services in communities, schools, and colleges
- Enforcement of vaping laws and regulations
- Public health research into e-cigarette use among young people and the effectiveness of anti-vaping programs.
