Chicago — Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin today in calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to consider the recently announced $462 million multistate settlement with Juul Labs Inc. (Juul) as the federal agency sets policies regulating e-cigarettes.
In 2019, Illinois was among the first states in the country to sue Juul, one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of e-cigarettes, alleging the company marketed its harmful nicotine products to minors. Raoul’s office co-led negotiations, which resulted in the largest settlement any states have reached with Juul to hold the company accountable, as well as the most stringent restrictions under any state settlement on Juul’s marketing, sales and distribution practices.
In a letter addressed to FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf, Durbin and Raoul, both longtime advocates for protecting youth from the dangers of smoking and e-cigarette use, ask the FDA to consider relevant findings and restrictions from the settlement as the agency weighs important public health matters related to youth e-cigarette use.
“E-cigarette use among youth and teens has reached epidemic levels, and FDA action is critical to protect our youth,” Raoul said. “Our multistate settlement is a strong step toward holding Juul accountable. It includes stringent restrictions on Juul’s marketing, sales and distribution practices to prevent minors from underage use. I am proud to join Senator Durbin in urging the FDA to consider the settlement as it strives to better regulate these harmful products and protect young people from the dangers of e-cigarettes.”
“For years, e-cigarette companies like JUUL have targeted our kids with their deceptive advertising, hooked our children with their addictive nicotine products, and largely evaded federal regulation,” said Senator Durbin. “Today’s letter is yet another call to action to the FDA to finally address the youth vaping epidemic that is hooking a new generation of children on tobacco products. I’m glad Illinois is a leader in this space and thank Attorney General Raoul for his partnership.”
Today’s letter is part of Attorney General Raoul’s ongoing work to combat the dramatic increase in youth e-cigarette use and to hold e-cigarette manufacturers accountable for epidemic usage levels among youth and teens. In 2022, Raoul co-led a bipartisan coalition calling on the FDA to reject marketing authorization for all non-tobacco nicotine products. In 2021, the Illinois Legislature passed Raoul’s legislation that prohibits companies from marketing e-cigarettes to minors, misleading advertising and the sale of adulterated e-cigarettes. In 2020, Raoul entered into a consent decree with Juice Man LLC to resolve a lawsuit his office filed over allegations the company developed and marketed its products to attract minors. The consent decree effectively prohibits Juice Man from operating in the state of Illinois. Additionally, Raoul has urged the FDA to ban flavored tobacco products and to strengthen e-cigarette guidance by prioritizing enforcement actions against flavored e-cigarettes.
For more information and free resources to help quit tobacco, please visit the Illinois Tobacco Quitline website or call 1-866-QUIT-YES.
