At House Hearing, Details Emerge About How Juul Funded Summer Programs To Teach Kids ‘Healthy’ Habits, Paid Schools $10K To Come Talk To Students
Juul “deployed a sophisticated program to enter schools and convey its messaging directly to teenage children,” recruited thousands of online influencers to market its vaping devices to youths and targeted children as young as 8 in summer camp, a memo prepared by an Oversight and Reform subcommittee's staff members claimed. Several committee members said Juul's initiatives appeared similar to past efforts by the tobacco industry to reach young people under the guise of smoking prevention programs.
The New York Times:
Juul Targeted Schools, Camps And Youth Programs, House Panel Claims
Last summer, with public concern about teenage vaping growing, Juul Labs paid a charter school organization in Baltimore $134,000 to set up a five-week summer camp to teach children healthy lifestyles. The curriculum was created by Juul — maker of the very vaping devices that were causing the most alarm among parents, health experts and public officials. In April 2017, a Juul representative visited the Dwight School in New York City to meet with students — with no teachers present — and told them the company’s e-cigarettes were “totally safe.” (Kaplan, 7/25)
The Associated Press:
Juul Exec: Never Intended Electronic Cigarette For Teens
A top executive for Juul Labs said that his company never intended its electronic cigarettes to be adopted by underage teenagers, as House lawmakers on Thursday accused the company of fueling the vaping craze among high schoolers. Co-founder James Monsees testified that Juul developed its blockbuster vaping device and flavor pods for adult smokers who want to stop. He acknowledged statistics showing "a significant number of underage Americans are using e-cigarettes, including Juul products." (Perrone and Lardner, 7/25)
Reuters:
U.S. Lawmakers Grill E-Cig Maker Juul Over Efforts Targeted At Schoolchildren
E-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc funded a "holistic health education" camp as part of efforts to market directly to school-aged children, members of a U.S. congressional panel said on Thursday, citing internal company documents. Democrats on a subcommittee of the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform released a cache of internal Juul emails and other documents that committee staff described as early attempts to "enter schools and convey its messaging directly to teenage children." Juul's use of social media influencers to promote its vaping devices in the years after it launched in 2015 also came under scrutiny. (Kirkham and Pietsch, 7/25)
Bloomberg:
Juul Targeted Children At Schools And Online, U.S. House Panel Says
The findings were presented Thursday as part of an investigation into youth e-cigarette use by a panel of the House Oversight and Reform committee. The panel said they gathered thousands of pages of documents to try to determine whether Juul had knowingly marketed to underage users. U.S. representatives called advocates and company executives to testify on Capitol Hill on Wednesday and Thursday, including Juul co-founder James Monsees and Chief Administrative Officer Ashley Gould. (Huet, 7/25)
CBS News:
Juul Congressional Hearing: Juul Came To A 9th Grade Classroom, Told Kids Their Products Were 'Totally Safe,' Teens Told Congress
Caleb Mintz, now 17, said he and his friend, Phillip Fuhrman, who also testified, were in the 9th grade when Juul came to their school to give students a presentation. Mintz said his school holds a mental health and addiction seminar three times a year, during which the teachers leave the room so the students have a safe space to talk. During this particular seminar, the students were alone in a classroom with a Juul representative. Mintz testified that the representative said, repeatedly, Juul is "totally safe." (O'Kane, 7/25)
CNN:
Juul Told Ninth Graders Vaping Is 'Totally Safe,' Teens Testify
Experts say that Juul itself contributed to epidemic-levels of vaping among teens, in part by raising nicotine levels and triggering an "arms race" of the addictive chemical. "I believe the presenter was sending mixed messages by saying Juul was 'totally safe' and following up every totally safe statement with 'but we don't want you as customers,' " said Mintz. "I believe that the presenter was playing on the rebellious side of teens," he added, "where when teens are told not to do something, they are more likely to do it." (Azad, 7/25)
NBC News:
Juul Comes Under Fire For Allegedly Hijacking Teen Anti-Smoking Curriculum
Emails Stanford University shared with NBC News suggest Juul offered to pay schools up to $20,000 to teach the curriculum as part of an anti-tobacco education seminar. A representative from Juul Labs, Inc. told the subcommittee the company once had a program to educate students about tobacco addiction and prevention. "When we started seeing media reports of youth using Juul products in 2017, we engaged with education experts, including several retired superintendents and principals, and they advised us and helped us to create a curriculum and advised reaching out to schools," Ashley Gould, chief administrative officer at Juul, said at the hearing. (Edward, 7/25)
CNBC:
Juul Hearing: Co-Founder James Monsees Defends Vaping Giant
The divide was apparent on Thursday. Democrats ripped into the Juul executives, accusing the company of purposely luring teenagers to its e-cigarettes with fruity flavors and youthful advertising. Republicans appeared more sympathetic to Juul, reminding colleagues that millions of Americans still smoke and struggle to quit. “I want to tell you, I’ve been involved in public health for a long time in the Bay Area,” Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Calif., told Monsees. “You, sir, are an example to me of the worst of the Bay Area. You don’t ask for permission, you ask for forgiveness. You’re nothing but a marketer of a poison, and your target is young people.” (LaVito, 7/25)
The Washington Post:
House Panel Accuses E-Cigarette Maker Juul Of Targeting Children
Critics at the hearing blamed Juul for what former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Scott Gottlieb has called an “epidemic” of youth vaping. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.) called Monsees “an example of the worst of the Bay Area. You don’t ask for permission, you ask for forgiveness. You’re nothing but a marketer of a poison, and your target is young people.” Matt Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said, “Juul’s failure to take any responsibility for the marketing they use is extraordinary.” (McGinley and Wan, 7/25)
The Hill:
House Panel Claims Juul Deliberately Targeted Children, Teens
Monsees emphasized that Juul is meant to be an alternative to adult smokers. He said that unlike tobacco companies, "we embrace appropriate regulation." Juul has been on the front lines of advocating to raise the age to purchase tobacco to 21. "Put simply, Juul Labs isn't Big Tobacco," Monsees said. (Weixel, 7/25)
CQ:
Juul Co-Founder Faces Hill Skepticism On Underage Vaping
In May, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., introduced a bill (S 1541) to increase the legal age to purchase tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to 21. Monsees said Juul supports that and similar efforts. “If we create that distance, that divide, so it is much harder for someone in high school to find a willing participant to illegally buy products and distribute them to minors, that goes a really long way,” he said. Monsees was also questioned about why tobacco company Altria has invested in Juul. (Lindarte, 7/25)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Vaping Suspected Of Causing Lung Damage In 8 Wisconsin Teens
Eight teens from Milwaukee, Waukesha and Winnebago counties have been hospitalized in the last month with severe lung damage doctors suspect is tied to vaping. The teens were brought to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin with extreme cough, significant shortness of breath and fatigue. Some had lost weight from vomiting and diarrhea, hospital officials said Thursday. (Rutledge and Spicuzza, 7/25)
