By Neil Doyle and Illinois Information Service
CHICAGO – Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul was joined Thursday by physicians and public health advocates to announce a lawsuit the Attorney General’s office filed against JUUL Labs, Inc., the nation’s largest manufacturer of e-cigarettes.
The lawsuit alleges that Juul is violating the state consumer fraud act by misrepresenting the ability of its product to help people quit smoking and by promoting vaping to teens.
“This lawsuit is part of a comprehensive approach to addressing a public health epidemic, particularly one impacting young people,” said Raoul in a news release.
JUUL’s e-cigarette device resembles a USB flash drive, can be charged via a USB port, and can be used discreetly, all features that make JUUL’s device more appealing to youth, according to the lawsuit.
So far in Illinois, there have been 201 confirmed cases of sever lung injury from vaping, including five deaths.
Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]