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Meeting Date:
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8/10/2021 - 6:00 PM
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Category:
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Action Items
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Type:
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Action
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Subject:
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HARMFUL IMPACT OF VAPING ON STUDENTS: POTENTIAL LAWSUIT AGAINST JUUL FOR COMPANY'S ROLE IN THE VAPING EPIDEMIC
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Strategic Plans:
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Enclosure
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File Attachment:
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Summary:
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The Warren County Board of Education will consider whether to file a lawsuit against Juul Labs, Inc. for the harmful effects its products have had on Warren County students. As cigarette smoking among students has declined, the use of e-cigarettes to “vape” has substantially increased. Juul Labs, Inc. is the largest manufacturer of e-cigarettes, controlling the U.S. market. E-cigarette manufacturers have marketed their products as a safer alternative to traditional tobacco products, using fruit and dessert flavors to attract young consumers, resulting in what the U.S. Surgeon General has declared an “e-cigarette epidemic among youth.” A December 2020 report stated that 41% of high school teens in the U.S. had tried vaping and 22% had vaped in the previous 30 days.
Vaping has been marketed as a safe alternative to traditional tobacco products, but Juul products deliver high concentrations of nicotine that lead to addiction. These products have been linked to breathing and lung injuries, seizures, strokes, and death. According to the Center for Disease Control, nicotine can harm adolescent brain development, impacting attention, learning, mood, and impulse control.
Vaping endangers our students’ health and has placed a burden on our school system. While more than 100 school systems in the United States have already filed suit against Juul, Warren County Schools would be the second school district in North Carolina to file a lawsuit against Juul. It will seek to hold Juul accountable for its role in the vaping epidemic.
Similarly, NC Attorney General Josh Stein filed suit for North Carolina against Juul in 2019 over its sales and marketing practices to underage users. In June of this year, Juul settled the suit brought by the state, agreeing to comply with a consent order to modify some of its current sales and marketing practices in North Carolina and forty million dollars. That consent order was signed by NC Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson on June 28, 2021.
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Funding:
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Recommendation:
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That the Board approve the contingency fee retainer agreement and the filing of a lawsuit against Juul.
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Approvals:
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Recommended By:
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Signed By:
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Keith Sutton - Superintendent
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Vote Results:
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| Original Motion | | Member Mrs. Talley-Brame Moved, Member Ms. Lehman seconded to approve the Original motion 'That the Board approve the contingency fee retainer agreement and the filing of a lawsuit against Juul.'. Upon a Roll-Call Vote being taken, the vote was: Aye: 5 Nay: 0. | | The motion Carried 5 - 0 | | | | | Ms. Lehman | Yes | | Ms. Byrd | Yes | | Mrs. Talley-Brame | Yes | | Mrs. Long | Yes | | Ms. Sims | Yes | |
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