Iowa Just got $5 Million Richer Thanks to… JUUL?
I remember the use of JUULs becoming a thing when I was in college. A few people did it here and there, but I wasn't particularly surrounded by it. It truly struck me how big of a problem it was -- or could be -- when a girl I was friends with told me the first thing she did when she woke up in the morning was hit her JUUL. She needed the nicotine, supposedly.
With that said, it's easy to deduce that JUUL has made millions of dollars from their customers' addictions. Apparently, the desire for more cash took them to a point of no return.
According to KCRG, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller announced on Wednesday of this week that JUUL Labs Inc. has agreed to update its advertising and retail practices and pay the state of Iowa $5 million because they "exposed Iowans under the age of 21 to its nicotine delivery system which would be a violation of Iowa’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act."
Juul will pay Iowa $1.25 million over four years as part of the agreement. All of the money will go to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. That funding will be used for:
- provide Iowans with assistance in quitting e-cigarette use
- fund education or prevention programs
- establish research in support of preventing ENDS use
- facilitate the adoption of age-verification technologies
- enforce related programs in support of Iowa and federal laws.
It will also update its advertising practices by
- not to target youth in Iowa with advertising, promotion, or marketing of JUUL products.
- not directly fund or operate any youth education campaigns or prevention activities or provide youth education programs or events in Iowa.
- not depict or portray any individual under the age of 35 in any promotion, marketing, or advertising of JUUL products.
- not use cartoons in any of its promotions, advertising, or marketing for products.
- not pay for the placement of JUUL products or brands in movies, television shows, theater productions, or live performances in Iowa.
- not sell, advertise, market, distribute or license apparel or goods that bear the JUUL name.
- not sell or advertise JUUL products in any flavor until they receive FDA authorization.
- require individuals to be age verified at the first point of access to any website it owns or operates.
- not make any claims or representations in promotional materials comparing the amount of nicotine in its products to those in combustible tobacco products. Additionally, it must disclose the amount of nicotine per milligram in its products.
According to KCRG.