Attorney General James Announces Over $13 Million for the Hudson Valley to Combat Youth Vaping Epidemic, Rockland To Receive Over $1 Million
New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the Hudson Valley will receive over $13 million from a historic $462 million multistate settlement that she secured from JUUL Labs Inc. (JUUL) for its role in the youth vaping epidemic that led to a dangerous rise in underage e-cigarette use nationwide. New York state will receive a total of $112.7 million through this settlement, which Attorney General James will distribute to every county, Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), and the five largest cities in the state to support programs that will help reduce and prevent underage vaping.
“E-cigarette use among young New Yorkers shot up after JUUL flooded the market with advertising aimed at teenagers and lies about the safety of its products,” said Attorney General James. “Now young people are suffering from physical and mental health issues fueled by vaping addiction. This settlement puts new limits on JUUL’s marketing and will provide leaders in the Hudson Valley over $13 million to implement new anti-vaping programs to protect our kids. I want to thank our partners in the Hudson Valley who will put these funds to use to stop the youth vaping epidemic.”
The funds will be split between the Yonkers City School District, and counties and BOCES in the Hudson Valley:
Counties
- Dutchess County will receive $1,141,432.42
- Orange County will receive $1,379,565.77
- Putnam County will receive $511,067.37
- Rockland County will receive $1,161,651.38
- Sullivan County will receive $481,474.24
- Ulster County will receive $644,402.70
- Westchester County will receive $2,722,278.52
School Districts / BOCES
- Yonkers City School District will receive $405,020.84
- Dutchess BOCES will receive $618,362.25
- Orange-Ulster BOCES will receive $799,258.74
- Putnam-Northern Westchester BOCES will receive $818,062.61
- Rockland BOCES will receive $686,468.53
- Southern Westchester BOCES will receive $1,226,848.77
- Sullivan BOCES will receive $150,488.46
- Ulster BOCES will receive $317,582.86
After JUUL launched in 2015, e-cigarette use among New York high school students skyrocketed. By 2019, the proliferation of vaping led to a national outbreak of severe vaping-related illnesses, with more than 2,500 hospitalizations. In October 2019, a 17-year-old male from the Bronx died due to a vaping-related illness, making him the first reported vaping-related fatality in New York, and the youngest vaping-related fatality in the United States.
In November 2019, Attorney General James sued JUUL for its deceptive and misleading marketing that glamorized vaping and targeted young people. In April 2023, Attorney General James secured the largest multistate agreement with JUUL and its former directors and executives for their role in fueling the youth vaping epidemic. JUUL misled consumers about the nicotine content of its products, misrepresented the safety and therapeutic value of its products by stating that they were safer than cigarettes, and failed to prevent minors from purchasing its products in stores across the country.
The settlement funds will be used for evidence-based measures to combat underage vaping and e-cigarette addiction. Counties and BOCES must dedicate the settlement funds they receive to programs in five categories:
- Public education campaigns to prevent e-cigarette use among young people.
- Community, school, and university-based anti-vaping programs.
- Vaping cessation services in communities, schools, and colleges.
- Enforcement of vaping laws and regulations.
- Public health research into e-cigarette use among young people and the effectiveness of anti-vaping programs.
In addition to paying New York $112.7 million, the settlement required JUUL to make significant changes to its sales and marketing tactics, including:
- Refraining from any marketing that targets youth, including using anyone under the age of 35 in promotional material or funding, operating youth education/prevention campaigns, or sponsoring school related activities.
- Limiting the amount of retail and online purchases an individual can make.
- Performing regular retail compliance checks at five percent of New York’s retail stores that sell JUUL’s products for at least four years.
- Treating synthetic nicotine as nicotine.
- Refraining from providing free or nominally priced JUUL pods as samples to consumers.
- Excluding product placement in virtual reality systems.
- Increasing funding to a document depository by up to $5 million and adding millions of relevant documents to the depository to inform the public on how JUUL created a public health crisis.
“This $13 million settlement is a significant step towards combating the youth vaping epidemic in Rockland County and the Hudson Valley,” said Rockland County Executive Ed Day. “My administration pledges to utilize these funds to protect the health and future of our youth through educational campaigns about the dangers of vaping. This significant investment in awareness and intervention efforts, will ensure a healthier, smoke-free future for our children and communities.”
