Jex Perez
The Lawsuit
Recently, Juul Labs has been in a heated lawsuit against 4000 different
companies for false and unlawful advertising and marketing towards teens. There has been an agreement for Juul to pay 438 million dollars to 33 states and Puerto Rico for advertising and marketing addictive substances to minors, but why is this an issue? What is so appalling about the marketing of Juul, and why has this become a widespread issue across the United States Of America?
The Statistics
According to the FDA Organization, about 1 in 10 students in middle and high school use e-cigarettes (14.1%) This is a huge difference compared to the one percent or lower of kids using cigarettes. Why is there such a divide
between these two products, even when statistically speaking, there are no differences in health
over time, and how there is no difference in satisfaction and addiction. For that, we have to look back to 1930.
History Of E-Cigarettes
In 1930, a patent named Joseph Robinson made an e-cigarette to make an attempt to lower use
of smoking. However, at the time he didn't realize that he just created the most used smoking device of the 21st century. It finally exploded in popularity in 2006 when they were used just as much as cigarettes. Juul Labs came onto the scene in 2015 and became a vaping icon.
The Issue With E Cigarettes
What’s the big deal about e cigarettes? E cigarettes cause horrible side effects, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smoking also increases risk for tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, and problems of the immune system, including rheumatoid arthritis. With peer pressure from other students, it is very easy for students to get addicted to the product that they are condoning. It doesn't make it better if companies like Juul Labs push for it.
The Solution
One of the ways to fix this is to stop peer pressure from students and influencing people. Even though this seems simple, this won't be a simple fix.
This will be the hardest issue to fix due to the fact that there will always be a few people that will try to push and pressure others to vape. At this rate, I think we are going in the right direction though. This lawsuit shows that companies can’t falsely advertise their products and have to be completely honest about the benefits and downsides. Hopefully in the future, vaping will become a mere fragment of history in the past.
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