Vapers Sue Juul For Nicotine Addiction

VAPERS and their families are suing e-cigarette manufacturers Juul for getting them addicted to nicotine.

Three lawsuits have been filed against Juul Labs involving plaintiffs as young as 15, it has been revealed this week.

They claim in court filings the device is marketed towards teenagers, contain more nicotine than combustible cigarettes – and the resulting addiction is disrupting their lives.

The US vape company has already been at the centre of increasing controversy this year as its products have been slammed by the media, public health organizations and well-meaning parents and teachers for creating an “epidemic” of teenage vaping.

The news is the latest in a long line of controversial headlines for the US e-cigarette manufacturer who has been criticised by the media, government, consumer groups and well-meaning parents who blame it for a so-called “epidemic” of teenage vaping.

The Food and Drug Administration has since been forced to investigate Juul Labs and the nicotine content of its devices as well as its marketing strategies.

Now, according to Wired, three court cases have been filed against the company.
Now, according to Wired, at least three complaints against JUUL have been filed in courts across the country.

The first was filed in April in U.S. District Court by Bradley Colgate of La Jolla, California and Kaytlin McKnight of Arroyo Grande, California. In court documents, Colgate reports that he’s now addicted to JUUL nicotine pods after using it to stop smoking cigarettes.
According to the lawsuit, "the intense dosage of nicotine salts delivered by the Juul products resulted in an increased nicotine addiction, and an increased consumption of nicotine by Colgate."

Another complaint filed in San Francisco by Carl Cooper said the JUUL nicotine pods turned him from a casual weekend cigarette smoker to an addict.

"Whereas Cooper had never felt the need to smoke on a daily basis, he now finds that he feels compelled to vape JUUL pods every day," the suit says, according to the news outlet.
The third complaint was filed by the parents of D.P., a teen in New York who became "heavily addicted to nicotine" after he started using it during high school. The JUUL nicotine pods caused him to be "anxious, highly irritable and prone to angry outbursts," according to the lawsuit, and he performed poorly in school.

His parents moved him to a different high school, but "despite all these measures, D.P. is unable to stop Juuling," the suit claims. His "urges" to use JUUL are strong that "he is unable to avoid Juuling even though it subjects him to disciplinary measures at home and at school."

Their advertising campaigns have also come under scrutiny, and the lawsuit filed on behalf of DP's mother includes images from Juul ads that feature bright colours and a girl who looks in her teens holding the vape.

The lawsuit also points out the device and its pods do not include warnings.

One of its headings makes a bold accusation against the e-cigarettes: “The Juul e-cigarettes' candy-like flavours and youth-centric marketing efforts, coupled with defendants' sales practices, have created a youth addiction crisis.

“As a proximate result of Defendants’ misconduct, D.P. is addicted to nicotine, putting him at serious risk for life-long health problems...Health risks aside, DP also faces a lifetime of economic losses needed to sustain a nicotine addiction for the remainder of his life,' the suit goes on to claim.

Attorneys for DP's mother are seeking compensatory and punitive damages to be paid to DP's family by Juul and co-defendant Pax.

The JUUL pods contain 5 per cent nicotine, similar quantities to a packet of cigarettes and the devices which hold them look similar to flash drives, which has been blamed for teenagers being drawn to them because they are easily concealed. The company has recently announced plans, however, to roll out pods with lower nicotine content.