HOOKING THE YOUNG AND INNOCENT –
April 12, 2023 – Juul’s former largest investor, Marlboro cigarette maker Altria Group Inc, is also facing claims over its alleged role in marketing Juul’s e-cigarettes, and has not settled.
Altria last month announced that it had given up its investment in Juul in exchange for some of Juul’s intellectual property. As of December, its share of Juul was valued at $250 million, down from $12.8 billion in 2018.
The head of the FDA’s center for tobacco products said last year that adolescent e-cigarette use in the United States remained at “concerning levels” and posed a serious public health risk. Federal health officials said last October that an estimated 2.55 million U.S. middle and high school students reported using e-cigarettes during a four-month span earlier in 2022.
Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, the addictive substance present in regular cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products, and nicotine in adolescence can harm the parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood and impulse control, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC also has said using nicotine in adolescence may raise the risk for future addiction to other drugs.
