New York Attorney General Letitia James distributed over $8.8 million to Suffolk County and over $7.5 million to Nassau County from a historic $462 million multistate 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. James made the announcement during a press conference on June 12.
New York State will receive a total of $112.7 million through this settlement, which wddwdJames 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.
The $16.4 million in funds for Long Island will be divided among Long Island counties and BOCES:
- Eastern Suffolk BOCES will receive $2,485,668.67
- Western Suffolk BOCES will receive $1,243,194.94
- Suffolk County will receive $5,156,358.84
- Nassau BOCES will receive $3,220,883.36
- Nassau County will receive $4,318,689.49
“JUUL lit a nationwide public health crisis after it misled children about how dangerous and addictive its products are,” James said. “E-cigarettes can cause serious harm, and JUUL invested heavily in marketing them to kids. As a result of my office’s legal action against JUUL, Long Island now has over $16 million to invest in education, prevention, enforcement, and research to curb the youth vaping epidemic. I am thankful to our partners in government for their commitment to protecting the health and safety of young New Yorkers.”
After JUUL launched in 2015, e-cigarette use among New York high school students skyrocketed. 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.
In November 2019, Attorney General James sued JUUL for its deceptive and misleading marketing that glamorized vaping and targeted young people. In April 2023, Attorney General James secured the largest multistate agreement with JUUL and its former directors and executives for their role in fueling the youth vaping epidemic. JUUL misled consumers about the nicotine content of its products, misrepresented the safety and therapeutic value of its products by stating that they were safer than cigarettes, and failed to prevent minors from purchasing its products in stores across the country.
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
In addition to paying New York $112.7 million, the settlement required JUUL to make significant changes to its sales and marketing tactics, including:
- Refraining from any marketing that targets youth, including using anyone under the age of 35 in promotional material or funding, operating youth education/prevention campaigns, or sponsoring school related activities
- Limiting the amount of retail and online purchases an individual can make
- Performing regular retail compliance checks at five percent of New York’s retail stores that sell JUUL’s products for at least four years
- Treating synthetic nicotine as nicotine
- Refraining from providing free or nominally priced JUUL pods as samples to consumers
- Excluding product placement in virtual reality systems
- Increasing funding to a document depository by up to $5 million and adding millions of relevant documents to the depository to inform the public on how JUUL created a public health crisis.
“Electronic cigarette companies like JUUL have clouded the minds of New Yorkers about the harmful effects of nicotine use, especially among teens and adolescents,” said New York State Senator Monica R. Martinez (D-Hsauppsuge). “This settlement’s funding will help dissipate the clouds of deception that have encouraged youth e-cigarette use across Suffolk County and throughout our state. As a sponsor of legislation to reduce adolescent vaping, I thank Attorney General James for securing this settlement on behalf of New York’s children and for reinvesting it into their healthier futures.”
“Attorney General James has secured another victory for working families targeted by companies like JUUL,” said New York State Assemblymember and Deputy Speaker Phil Ramos (D-Brentwood). “This settlement addresses the rise in tobacco use that has severely impacted the health of our youth.”
“The proliferation of vaping products has fueled a concerning epidemic among our youth, impacting young people across our state,” said Assemblymember Michaelle C. Solages (D-Valley Stream), chairwoman of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus.“Accountability is crucial in tackling this crisis.”
“Too many young people across Suffolk County are facing the adverse effects of vaping, negatively impacting their mental and physical well-being,” said Assemblymember Steve Stern (D-Dix Hills). “This settlement will ensure that Suffolk County is equipped with the best resources to address this growing public health crisis. I applaud Attorney General James for her unmatched efforts to keep our children safe and healthy.”
Steve Chassman, LCSW, CASAC, of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, added, “By holding these corporations accountable, we are not only sending a clear message that profit cannot come before public health, but we are also securing vital funds to support addiction prevention and treatment services. LICADD looks forward to continuing our work in Long Island communities to protect children from the abuses and harms nicotine causes to the physical and mental health of our youth.”
According to Yolonda C. Richardson, president and CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, more than 18% of New York high school students use e-cigarettes. “Effective use of the JUUL settlement funds can help to end this youth addiction crisis and protect the health of New York kids,” she said.
Citing JUUL’s “predatory behavior,” Dorian Fuhrman and Meredith Berkman, Cofounders of Parents Against Vaping, said, “These funds secured by Attorney General James will go a long way to educate and inform New York children and families about the dangers of vaping and nicotine use, and help the countless New York youth who are addicted to vaping.”
“I and many of my colleagues have learned that intervention, prevention, and therapeutic measures are much more effective in addressing student addiction and mental health issues than punitive actions,” said Dr. Brian Zahn, the principal of Southampton High School. “I have seen directly that nicotine addiction caused by vape devices takes no prisoners and impacts everyone across all demographic groups. The number of student risk assessments conducted in our schools, and, unfortunately, the suicide rate among young people, is proof that unless something’s done, we’re going to lose even more of our young people who are self-medicating to address underlying mental health issues, and becoming heavily addicted to nicotine.”
Erin Kennedy and Samantha Price, two former East Hampton High School students who are now the co-founders of Breathe in Change, spoke about how the vaping epidemic is harming Long Island’s youngest.
“The youth vaping epidemic is a public health crisis manufactured to harm young people,” Kennedy said. “This settlement is a great achievement, and will help provide Long Island youth with access to resources to better their physical and mental health.”
“An appalling number of our students are suffering both mental and physical consequences as a result of the vaping epidemic,” Price added. “This settlement will help Suffolk County’s schools provide the necessary educational and therapeutic programs to students across all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds to combat the pervasive effects of vaping.”