ND to get $6M in JUUL settlement

A $438.5 million settlement has been agreed to in principle between e-cigarette manufacturer JUUL Labs and 34 states, including North Dakota.

North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley says the deal resolves a two-year bipartisan investigation into JUUL’s marketing and sales practices.

North Dakota will receive more than $6-million under the settlement that will be paid out over a period of six to ten years. The settlement also provides for a series of important and strict injunctive terms intended to severely limit JUUL’s marketing and sales practices.

Wrigley says an investigation revealed that JUUL attained a prominent position in the vaping market by willfully engaging in a campaign that appealed to youth.

JUUL also manipulated the chemical composition of its product to make the vapor less harsh on the throats of the young and inexperienced users.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says his state is not part of this settlement with JUUL.

He says Minnesota is taking JUUL and the tobacco company Altria to trial in 2023.