$22.5 million dollars is the price tag for vaping giant Juul in a settlement reached with State Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office, for what he says is a clear violation of the law. “Juul’s conduct harmed Washingtonians,” Ferguson says, “A young person has enough challenges in their life that they don’t need a company like Juul trying to manipulate them through their advertising and their corporate conduct into actions that’ll lead them into potentially facing years or a lifetime of addiction.”
Those ads aimed at young people were heavy on social media, so the settlement also includes a ban on most Juul social media ad campaigns. Ferguson says the ads were right out of the old playbook from big tobacco, with what he describes as young-looking models in fun poses.
The company will also have to conduct secret shopper checks on retailers in every Washington County and report back to the AG every 90 days for two years to ensure retailers aren’t selling their products to anyone under 21. The office believes that retailers who sell to minors are part of the problem, so they want to make sure that pipeline is cut off.
If Juul doesn’t comply with the settlement agreement, the AG’s office can take it back before the King County judge for further penalties as part of its enforcement process.
You can watch Attorney General Ferguson’s entire news conference here:
