Juul Labs is being sued because some customers are just too stupid

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Juul Labs is facing several lawsuits from customers who claim they became more addicted to nicotine by using one of the company’s rechargeable vaping devices. The plaintiffs are seeking damages and want to see an injunction to curb Juul’s marketing practices, according to Wired.

The lawsuits, two filed in California and the other in New York State, blame the company for either making the plaintiffs more addicted to nicotine or marketing the product in such a way to make them popular with underage teenagers.

Juul says the product was designed to help adult cigarette smokers switch to e-cigarettes. The Juul system features a rechargeable vaping device that looks like a flash drive and Juul Pods that contain nicotine. These pods come in flavors including mango, fruit medley, and creme brulee.

As Wired explains,

To support their claims, all three complaints reference Juul’s early marketing campaigns, the company’s patent for nicotine delivery, a study showing that Juul may deliver higher levels of nicotine than advertised, and a study that shows that Juul benefited from social media marketing by influencers and affiliates. In particular, the complaints cite a multimillion-dollar campaign called VAPORIZED that featured young people with vibrant backgrounds in billboards in Times Square and a prominent advertisement in Vice magazine.

I can see how Juul’s decision to market fruity flavors for its product could prove detrimental in a courtroom. I’m less inclined to feel sorry for anyone who thinks they have become more, not less, addicted to nicotine by using this product.

In the year 2018, nicotine addiction is well known, especially to those already addicted. I can’t see how you can blame a company for making someone more addicted to a legal product. How do you define more addicted? Where’s the personal responsibility?

It will be interesting to see where these cases go from here.

What do you think? Is Juul Labs liable here? Leave your comments below. 

For tech news and vape reviews, make sure to check out:

• The Davinci MIQRO cannabis vaporizer will become your new favorite vape
• A potential vape pen explosion could be the first death of its kind
• 10 things to know before buying your first vape

Bryan M. Wolfe

Bryan considers himself a well-rounded techie, having written articles for MakeUseOf, KnowTechie, AppAdvice, iDownload Blog. When he's not writing, he's being a single dad and rooting for his alma mater, Penn State, or cheering on the Patriots.