AG Jeff Landry: Louisiana joins multi-state investigation into JUUL Labs

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Attorney General Jeff Landry has announced his office has joined a bipartisan, multistate investigation of JUUL Labs.

According to Landry’s office, the 39-state coalition is investigating JUUL’s marketing and sales practices, including claims the company targeted youths.

Landry also says the coalition will investigating claims about nicotine content, safety, and the product’s effectiveness as a smoke-free device.

“As a father, I am deeply troubled by the alarming number of middle school and high school students using e-cigarettes,” said General Landry. “As the Attorney General, I will continue to do all that I legally can to protect children and make our state safer,” Landry said.

Landry says even though cigarette usage has dramatically dropped among youth, vaping rates continue to skyrocket.

The National Youth Tobacco Survey conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control in 2019 found more than 5 million youth reported having used e-cigarettes within the past 30 days, up from 3.6 million just one year prior. It also found that 20.8% of high school students were vaping in 2018.

In Louisiana, vaping increased by 1.5 times (8.3% to 12.3%) from 2015 to 2017 and nearly tripled (12.3% to 31.6%) from 2017 to 2019, according to Landry’s office.

Officials say vaping rates among middle school students in Louisiana increased 1.5 times (5.2% to 8.6%) from 2015 to 2017 and nearly doubled (8.6% to 15.4%) from 2017 to 2019.

The most popular e-cigarette brand among youth who have ever tried e-cigarettes in Louisiana was JUUL, according to Landry.

In 2019, Landry issued a consumer alert on the Signs and Dangers of Youth Vaping. Landry says all Louisiana parents and guardians need to be aware of the dangers of vaping.