The Facts
On Tues., electronic cigarette maker Juul Labs agreed to settle for $438.5M in a lawsuit brought forward by 33 states and Puerto Rico that claims the company marketed its nicotine products to minors.
The settlement, in which Juul didn't acknowledge any wrongdoing, prohibits the company from marketing to youth, funding education in schools, and inaccurately reporting the amount of nicotine in its products.
The Spin
Narrative A
While this settlement is a step in the right direction, more needs to be done to prevent youth access to nicotine – starting with the FDA removing the problematic products from the market. There are still other companies like Juul out there, but hopefully, the settlement will discourage them and the FDA will be able to crack down on them, too.
Narrative B
The best way to reduce teenage vaping is through education and transparency, not hysteria. The reality is that vaping is safer than smoking, although it can be very addictive. Kids can handle the truth, and when they trust the information they're getting, they're more likely to do the right thing.
