Juul reaches $40 million settlement in North Carolina for alleged role in 'teen vaping epidemic'

North Carolina's attorney general announced Monday that a $40 million settlement had been reached with e-cigarette maker Juul.

North Carolina's attorney general announced Monday that a $40 million settlement had been reached with e-cigarette maker Juul over its alleged role in fueling the "vaping epidemic" among young people. "For years, Juul targeted young people, including teens, with its highly addictive e-cigarette," Josh Stein, North Carolina's attorney general, said in a statement. "It lit the spark and fanned the flames of a vaping epidemic among our children -- one that you can see in any high school in North Carolina." "This win will go a long way in keeping Juul products out of kids’ hands, keeping its chemical vapor out of their lungs, and keeping its nicotine from poisoning and addicting their brains," he added. Stein's investigation of Juul's business practices dates back to 2018, and in 2019 he sued the company for designing, marketing and selling its e-cigarette products to attract young people. He also accused the company of misrepresenting the potency and danger of nicotine in its products.