JUUL is one of the largest manufacturers of e-cigarettes with a current market share of 73.9 percent. The vaping company claims to replace a pack of cigarettes (20 cigarettes and 200 puffs) with its one product – JUULpod. JUUL has been marketing its flavored nicotine products to teens and regular smokers as initiators of smoking cessation. In the process, JUUL has downplayed the dangers related to its product(s). In lieu of this, multiple lawsuits have been filed against the company for promoting the use of nicotine among teens and underage buyers without fairly presenting its risks and adverse side effects.
These lawsuits claim JUUL e-cigarettes to be highly concentrated and thus, more addictive than usual cigarettes. They have also been accused of having negligent age verification policies online. It is also indicative that JUUL Labs has used different marketing channels to promote its products among underage buyers, which definitely contributed to its current popularity. This article offers an extensive insight into e-cigarettes by JUUL labs – claimed advantages, the severe side effects such as seizures, anoxic brain injury, convulsions, etc. and their contribution of nicotine addictiveness. It will also look into different lawsuits filed against the company and medical studies to prove the e-cigarettes’ contribution to nicotine addiction among teens.
In summary, the article will talk about how you can recover compensation from the JUUL for possible damages caused by the usage of its defective devices – JUULpods and others. For cases like these – Defective Devices and Dangerous Drugs, your choice of an attorney becomes relevant. Need a lawyer for joining a Mass Tort against JUUL e-cigarettes in the US? Customer Alert Now helps you to connect with highly experienced lawyers and attorneys in the United States after reviewing your case.
JUUL E-Cigarettes: An Overview
The concept of e-cigarettes is not as new as you might think. The first commercialized version of e-cigarettes was introduced in 1979. Typically, an e-cigarette contains liquids containing nicotine (called e-liquids), humectants, and flavors. PAX Labs introduced JUUL in 2015 (now manufactured by JUUL Labs) and within two years of its launch, became the most rapidly growing e-cigarettes company in the US.
JUUL Labs offers e-cigarettes in the shape of a USB flash drive which has contributed to creating a buzz about the product. The small size of these e-cigarettes makes it easier for underage users to sneak them in regulated premises such as schools. Initially, JUUL e-cigarettes were promoted as an alternative that helped regular smokers to end their addiction, which is not the case if you study the products’ popularity. As regulatory advertising guidelines of regular cigarettes do not bid e-cigarettes, the company has successfully managed to maintain a strong presence on different online and offline marketing platforms. The cult-like following of the JUUL e-cigarettes among teenagers is continually being fueled by the use of catchy phrases related to the product on social media, for instance - “JUULing” refers to the use of JUUL.
Breaking down JUUL’s Popularity: Prevalence among teens
JUUL e-cigarettes are immensely popular among teenagers and, considering the related adverse side effects, and this is a cause for concern. Studies have shown that teenagers between the age group of 15-17 are 16 times more likely to use JUUL products than adults given the enigma attached to it.
This wide popularity of JUUL e-cigarettes among teenagers has benefited the company to a great extent. The sales of JUUL e-cigarettes have increased by 641 percent in one year, according to a report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Most of the teenagers using JUUL don’t have the complete knowledge of the product. Some of them agreed to not even knowing the presence of nicotine in the JUUL e-cigarettes.
The extensive popularity of these e-cigarettes is a result of aggressive marketing on different platforms and their availability in multiple flavors. Teenagers are following the trend without having complete knowledge about the product. This opens the room for discussion of the list of proposed advantages and disadvantages of JUUL e-cigarettes.
A significant part of the increased usage of JUUL e-cigarettes among teens is because of the lack of complete information about the product. According to a report, 63% of JUUL users don’t have the idea that the product contains nicotine. After multiple allegations, the JUUL website has recently added a statuary warning saying: “Warning: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.”
JUUL E-Cigarette: The Technicality and Proposed Uses
Knowing the technicality of JUUL e-cigarettes is essential to understand how they affect the user’s body. Here are four steps on how JUUL e-cigarettes function.
- E-liquid containing propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, nicotine salts, and added flavors is absorbed using silica.
- Upon absorption, the metal around the wick is heated by the battery to produce vapors of e-liquid.
- The user inhales this vapor, and the entire process is repeated.
JUUL e-cigarettes are mainly marketed as a nicotine-delivery system that is effective for tobacco cessation. The company claims to have helped millions of adult smokers by eliminating cigarettes. Although, the FDA has not yet approved of the fact that JUUL e-cigarettes are in any way a safe or effective method to help regular smokers quit.
JUUL E-Cigarettes: Allegations and Harmful Impacts
A robustly marketed product as JUUL e-cigarette has the reputation of a robust smoking cessation tool and is used by billions of people. You can find multiple online blogs recommending the product and talking about the list of its advantages. The first significant allegation against JUUL is downplaying the side effects of its products and the adverse effects of nicotine among teenagers. The availability of its products in different flavors has made them more appealing to teens – 1 in 5 teen students above the age of 17 have seen the use of JUUL in school.
Most of the teenage users are unaware of the fact that JUUL e-cigarettes contain nicotine and not just fruity flavors. As mentioned earlier, one JUULpod is equal to 20 cigarettes and 200 puffs. The nicotine concentration in these pods is around 5 percent, which is almost twice the normal concentrations (2.5 percent) in other e-cigarettes. As such, nicotine salts used in JUUL e-cigarettes are more addictive, making it harder for people to quit.
JUUL e-cigarettes are being called a “gateway drug” for the younger generation because of its nicotine addictiveness. Teenagers who use JUULpods are more likely to start smoking tobacco cigarettes eventually. JUUL e-cigarettes come in various fruit flavors, which make them more dangerous and not only because this attracts teens. With flavored e-cigarettes, teenagers (about one third) believe that they are just smoking flavors. As such, the vaping company is creating new generations of nicotine addicts and definitely should be held responsible for it.
JUUL e-cigarettes come with a long list of side effects. Considering the high concentration of nicotine in a JUULpod, nicotine poisoning is quite common among the users, especially teenagers. It may cause nausea, coughing, dry or sore throat, dizziness, constant headaches, stomach aches, and many more. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that the benzoic acid used by JUUL Labs to increase nicotine potency in its products can be a potential cause for these side effects. Other chemical contents present in the e-liquid of JUULpods are also harmful to the users’ health.
Adverse Health Impacts
The use of JUUL e-cigarettes has a long list of short and long term health impacts. It is reported to cause seizures, nicotine addiction, lactic acidosis, coronary vascular disease, and many more. Nicotine is known to hamper brain development among teenagers and develop a higher risk of suffering psychiatric disorders. Adolescents who started smoking at a younger age are known to show markedly reduced activity in the cortex part of your brain. Besides the nicotine found in JULLpods, unlike other e-cigarettes, is that of nicotine salts. These nicotine salts, unlike chemically modified nicotine form in other e-cigarettes, closely resemble the nicotine found in tobacco leaves.
Seizures and convulsions are known signs of nicotine poisoning, and the FDA issued a warning in April 2019 about this impact cause by few e-cigarettes. There are no definitive studies that link the use of e-cigarettes and nicotine poisoning, but there are final pieces of evidence that indicate that exposure to e-liquids of JUULpods or other products can cause severe health impacts such as seizures, convulsions, vomiting, brain injuries, and many more.
JUULpods are comparatively new, it is almost impossible to know about the long-term effects of the product and yet there are irrefutable facts about the same. The high nicotine concentration in JUUL e-cigarettes is a significant concern, and some even say that it is higher than regular tobacco cigarettes. The theory behind this is the nicotine salts are easily absorbed into the bloodstream and are more likely to cause nicotine addiction and related impacts.
The major part of allegations on JUUL is marketing its products to teenagers and downplaying the potential health impacts related to their use. JUULing – the use of JUULpods has been trending online, and its sleek design makes it look cool and appealing to teenagers. JUUL e-cigarettes have become a vaping epidemic and thus, impacting the health and wellness of a significant portion of the population. This makes it a case of Mass Tort – many plaintiffs against one or several defendant companies or corporations.
JUUL E-Cigarettes: FDA Warnings and Actions
JUUL Labs have been facing multiple lawsuits concerning the harmful impacts of its products, marketing strategies to target teenagers, ignorant age verification policies, not ensuring that the products aren’t sold to minors, and many more. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken small actions against JUUL and e-cigarettes, in general, but not as effective as needed.
The organization has defined rules covering manufacture, packaging, labeling, etc. for e-cigarettes and other vaping devices. FDA has also organized campaigns to educate teenagers about the harmful impacts which most of e-cigarettes brands such as JUUL Labs don’t show. In September 2018, the FDA carried out a surprise inspection on JUUL Labs and took away thousands of marketing and advertising related documents from the company.
JUUL E-Cigarettes Lawsuits
JUUL Labs has been dealing with multiple Class Action level lawsuits. These lawsuits accuse JUUL of downplaying harmful impacts of nicotine on teenagers, marketing vapes to teens, the nicotine level in the pods, and many others. North Carolina AG filed a lawsuit against JUUL JUUL for trivializing the dangers of nicotine to minors. Besides the organization, parents of kids who found their son addicted to nicotine after the use of JUULpods also has filed lawsuits against the company. For instance, New York parents filed a lawsuit against JUUL because their child couldn’t stop the use of JUUL. There are other lawsuits filed against the company for alleged health impacts such as miscarriage, fetal injury, etc.
Lawsuits against JUUL have been filed both at individual and mass levels. Recently, a teen who smoked two JUULpods a day filed a lawsuit against the company saying that the use of its product caused him a massive stroke. Allegedly, the use of JUUL e-cigarettes has left him with multiple immediate and long term injuries such as left paralysis, significant loss of vision, etc.
The impact of JUULpods covers a significant portion of the population spreading over different states. There are many lawsuits filed on behalf of JUUL teenage users. With the increasing popularity of JUULpods, parents should talk about the adverse health impacts and other side-effects of nicotine. If you or some you know have been affected by the JUULpods, you should seek justice and fair compensation for your injuries, medical bills, emotional trauma, etc. caused by the use of this defective device – JUUL E-Cigarette.
Mass Torts Against E-Cigarette Manufacturers in Media
E-cigarettes are quite popular among adult smokers because they offer an alternative to tobacco cigarettes with a low concentration of nicotine and the same satisfaction of smoking. JUUL e-cigarettes became quite famous due to their sleek design and occupied a significant part of the market within years of their launch. Their marketing techniques without keeping the information about the nicotine presence at its forefront made the products look cool and appealing.
The increasing number of teen users of these e-cigarettes was a major concern and USFDA launched warnings against numerous manufacturers. The agency asked these companies to demonstrate that they don’t target teenagers to advertise their products. The same warning was issued to various retailers of e-cigarettes and such products. JUUL Labs faced a class action level lawsuit for promoting their products among teenagers and downplaying the adverse effects of nicotine. This has led to an increase in the number of teenage smokers, which is a public health concern.
As the use of JUUL and other e-cigarettes are impacting the majority of a widespread population, the chances for Class Action lawsuits and mass torts are increasing. If you or your loved ones have been affected in any possible way due to the use of JUUL e-cigarettes, you must join a mass tort to increase your chances of getting fair compensation from the company.
What Is a Mass Tort and How to Join One?
A Mass Tort is a civil action involving a mass or multiple plaintiffs against a person or organization(s). In cases of Mass Tort, the wrongdoings or the use of the defective product(s) of the defendant(s) have caused injuries to many victims. The individual victims come together and share their resources and findings to get better chances of getting justice against a large organization. Be it the use of a common prescription drug or a defective device, you must get justice and a fair compensation amount for your sufferings/ injuries caused. The use of JUUL e-cigarettes is a definitive case of Defective Devices and is a perfect sample for a mass tort. Going individually against an organization might not get you the right compensation amount for your injuries, mental trauma, medical bills, etc. On the other hand, Mass Torts increase the potential of a case and simultaneously, the chances of reaching a successful outcome.
The Class Action lawsuits are similar to the Mass Torts in the sense that both of them involve a group of individuals being affected by a common defendant. It only makes sense to consolidate individual resources, converting it into one valid case. The difference between Class Action lawsuits and Mass Torts is the former considers a group of plaintiffs, usually from the same geographic area, as a single class represented by one class representative while each member as a distinctive individual in the latter.
Joining a Mass Tort improves your chances of getting justice and fair compensation amount from the defendant (s) for the injuries – physical or otherwise inflicted. Upon consolidation, each contributor to the entire case and thus, increasing the total damages caused by the defendant. It is entirely possible for contributors, who have faced injuries on more than one ground, to come together under one or more lawyers against one common defendant. If you or your loved one have been affected – physically or emotionally by the use of a defective device, you can join a mass tort against the manufacturer.
To join a mass tort, you can contact the lawyer (s) already representing/ attached to the case, or you can contact a lawyer not connected to the situation. The representing lawyer (s) are careful while studying a case or interviewing a person to consolidate his/her affair with the mass tort. They usually investigate a case – the victim and injuries to make sure that your case is directly connected to the mass tort, i.e., the defendant is accountable for the caused damages.
There have been multiple compelling cases of mass torts in the past. For instance, before the Asbestos mass tort, it was quite commonly used in both – residential and industrial areas. The same applies to other mass tort cases of Dangerous Medicines and Defective Medical Device such as IVC Filters, Stockert 3T heater-cooler, etc.
How is Compensation Amount Estimated in a Mass Tort?
A Mass Tort fairly divides the compensation amount for each victim depending on the injuries caused by the defendant. Unlike a Class Action lawsuit, the compensation claims of individual plaintiffs may vary. This is fair as the severity of personal damages may be different in the contributing causes. The resources are shared in a Mass Tort, and witnesses might be asked to give their testimony more than once. For instance, your compensation amount depends on your level of injury caused by the use of the defective device – JUUL e-cigarettes in a Mass Tort – a physical injury, current, and future hospital bills, mental trauma, short and long term side effects, and much more.
Find Help for Filing a JUUL E-Cigarette Mass Tort Near Me
The e-cigarette manufacturers should be held responsible for their questionable marketing policies and downplaying the adverse impacts. JUUL e-cigarettes must compensate somewhat for the damages caused to the users, including physical pain, medical trauma, hospital bills, and other short and long term impacts. Many studies have shown that the use of JUUL e-cigarettes (JUULpods) has impacted a large portion of the population, both teenage and adults. There is a high possibility that these victims and their family members qualify for receiving a fair compensation amount from the company. If you, your loved ones, or someone you know is affected by the use of JUUL e-cigarettes in any way, you should seek the help of a lawyer or a law firm that has experience in representing big Mass Torts.
Consumer Alert Now can connect you to lawyers and law firms in the United States with years of experience in the field who are willing to represent you or work with other lawyers in a mass tort to ensure a maximum chance of getting a fair compensation amount from the defendants. Call us at 800-511-0747 or fill this form to get in touch with us today! We will review your case of the use of the defective device - JUUL E-Cigarettes and find you a highly qualified lawyer accordingly.