Tobacco-Free Kids Applauds Denver Lawsuit Against Juul, Altria for Luring Kids; Time for City and State to End the Sale of Flavored E-Cigarettes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids applauds Denver for its leadership in holding Juul, Altria and others accountable for addicting a generation of our kids on e-cigarettes. Juul fueled the youth e-cigarette epidemic with its sweet flavors, kid-friendly design and marketing, and massive doses of nicotine. And Altria invested $12.8 billion in Juul, allowing Big Tobacco to share its toxic tactics and massive resources with its new partner.

The City and County of Denver filed suit in federal court earlier this week against Juul, Altria and Eonsmoke (which marketed “Juul-compatible” products) for deceptive advertising and targeting kids, among other things. With this lawsuit, Denver is delivering an unmistakable message to e-cigarette makers that they will not get away with targeting and addicting our kids. 

This effort also spotlights the need for Denver and Colorado to join the growing national movement to end the sale of all flavored e-cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products including cigars and menthol cigarettes.These actions are especially timely because of mounting concerns that smokers and vapers are at higher risk of severe complications from COVID-19. There has never been a better time to take action to prevent and reduce use of all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. 

The latest data shows that more than 5.3 million kids nationwide now use e-cigarettes, including over 1 in 4 high school students. In Colorado, over 26% of high school students use e-cigarettes. Flavored e-cigarettes have fueled this crisis as nearly all youth e-cigarette users use flavored products and most cite flavors as a key reason for their use. We look forward to working with Denver and Colorado leaders to stop tobacco companies from targeting kids with flavored products once and for all.